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In this blog, Gabriella is enjoying her time in New Zealand, bird watching and sketching!
If there is one thing New Zealand can offer, it is a load of birds. Big birds. Small birds. Soaring birds. Flightless birds. Colourful birds with frills and tufts, collared like an old-fashioned nobleman. Or little black birds, smoky like soot. And while Europeans may have brought over an army of sparrows that look like they could take over every park at any given moment, the native feathered friends of New Zealand are a true taonga, a treasure, to behold. Here are just a few that I have encountered.
罢奴墨
Firstly, I will begin with the lovely chatterbox that is the t奴墨. These were an instant hit with my dad when he came to visit. They have the capacity to mimic, and you will catch them singing and whistling away in the trees. With shiny blue feathers and a charming white bow tie around their neck, they are a classic here for a reason, and I already know I am going to miss them an awful lot.
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Fantail
A love at first sight, the fantail. They are quite common to see; I have spotted them on islands, forests, but also in more local places like my walk back from work. They are aptly named 鈥� one look and you go 鈥榓hh, I see鈥�. Fluttering more like a butterfly than bird 鈥� or admittedly like a first-time flier - they are fantastical.
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Kea
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The moment I saw a kea I knew I would never be the same. I was a changed woman. After an incredible day in Milford Sound and after reading many signs saying 鈥楧O NOT FEED THE KEA鈥�, we finally saw one waddling through the car park. We did not feed it. We just stared with gleaming faces. This alpine parrot 鈥� yes, alpine parrot 鈥� is unbelievably charming, albeit we heard they are capable of stealing passports. Brilliant.
On land they look as though they should be wearing a vintage top hat, walking with a little stick. In flight, they are majestic. As their wings spread, they reveal bright shades of red that were previously masked by their green exterior. I have a beautiful moment permanently etched into my brain; just as we were about to head into a tunnel and say a tough goodbye, three keas flew past in the valley giving us the warmest, most magical, and most cinematic farewell we could have asked for.
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Kiwi
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I of course cannot miss out the kiwi. At the time of writing this, I have not seen one in the wild 鈥� they are nocturnal after all and I myself am absolutely not. I did however visit Auckland Zoo, my first encounter with them. I promise you, they are as cute and full of whimsy as you would imagine. And bigger. Who knew there were so many types of kiwis?
We also visited a kiwi sanctuary, where we saw two marching along with their powerful strides 鈥� they have quite the mighty legs on them 鈥� sniffing purposefully with their long beaks. New Zealand chose their national bird very wisely.
There are many others that I could reminisce on; the mighty albatross, floating in the open ocean because it was too full to take flight; the north island saddleback who cackled along our Rangitoto walk; the p奴keko, like an oversized moor hen but also not at all because it鈥檚 blue; the weka, a flightless, stormy, baby dinosaur; the tomtit who was so dainty I nearly shed a tear; and the pair of New Zealand robins who amazed us with a grippingly heroic battle with the biggest worm I鈥檝e ever seen. I hope that, in my remaining time here, I get to encounter many more.