King’s birthday weekend saw my camera back out on an adventure. We chose to visit Zealandia as it is rare not to come away without a large number of photos to process. This visit was no exception. In fact it was one of the best days I have had in the valley for a long while. We saw and photographed the leucistic tui.
I have seen many people posting images of this unusual coloured bird in the last year or so. Last year she successfully raised a brood of chicks and there was talk about another nest on the go. I am not sure on that one but hope it is so.
Leucistic birds have a genetic mutation that affects the pigmentation in their feathers. Back in 2020 I got to photograph a pure white leucistic fantail in Stratford. This tui is not white, but she also has none of the usual tui blues and greens. She blends well into the foliage with her soft brown colours matching the branches.
If we hadn’t see a group of people with cameras pointed at the same tree we might have easily walked right by. I am so glad we didn’t. She was not worried about people being around her, almost as if she knew they were not a threat. After posing for us for a while, it was back to feeding on berries from the coprosma tree. I wonder if I have room in my garden for one of them.
I hope you have enjoyed seeing these images of a very special bird. For reference I have added a normal coloured tui at the bottom of this page. The light was very bright and harsh but it is an image that I like regardless. Feedback is welcomed here.
