I have been doing my best to take more photographs over the holiday period, so today we headed out with that intention. I have several new images to share with you from the trip but these are from the last stop on the way home. I am not going to share the exact location as I hope to visit the area again soon, and sometimes it is better for the birds if no one knows they are there.
My husband heard a tui making a noise that he was not used to. He told me about it but having already photographed so many tui, I didn’t take a lot of notice (sorry hun, I will listen properly next time). When we finally went to investigate we found two very distressed tui. I suspect they had a nest nearby, and judging by the feathers near the kārearea, I suspect one of their young might have been a recent meal.
For my overseas readers, the kārearea is a New Zealand falcon, native to New Zealand and it is rare to see them in urban or semi-urban areas, but in the Wellington region this is becoming more of a common occurrence. I have two friends who have seen them in their back yards and others who have seen and photographed them in the valley.
The kārearea was sitting quietly on a low branch just watching us, watching the tui. Probably quietly laughing at the crazy humans staring up into a big tree. When I saw it sitting there I have to admit to being a little concerned about being so close to it – half expecting it to attack.
I am assuming she is female, as she was a rather large bird compared to others I have seen in the past. The female kārearea is larger than the male. I did look around to see if she had a mate nearby but couldn’t see one. Though I know the fact that he couldn’t be found doesn’t mean he wasn’t there, or taking his turn on a nest somewhere close by. I hope you enjoy these images and check back tomorrow for the rest of the day’s images.