If you follow me on social media or read my blogs you’ll know that I volunteer at Zealandia helping to keep track of the tītipounamu/rifleman population. When I spend time at Zealandia I’m usually very focused on finding the tītipounamu and I don’t pay as much attention to the other birds as I used to. I have trained myself to ignore the calls of the other louder birds so I can focus on hearing the tiny calls of the tītipounamu, as it’s the only way to hear them!
Of course I still love seeing the other birds that call Zealandia home, and many of them have much more threatened populations than the tītipounamu. I love seeing the big blue takahē out in the wetland area, they are a nice welcoming bird that will often approach people me if I’m quiet and still. I will never tire seeing the adorable toutouwai/robins that hop right up to me when I’m in their territory hoping I’ll scuff up the ground so they can seek out grubs lurking in the leaf litter. Around the feeding stations there are always some hihi making their high pitched whistling calls, and of course I love seeing the kākā that are making a racket wherever they are in the sanctuary. Zealandia is also home to a few waterfowl species, like the rare pāteke / brown teal and papango / black teal, both are such gorgeous ducks, and I love seeing them too.
Although I definitely don’t take as many photos of the other birds as I used to, I still won’t let a good photo opportunity pass me by. I actually find if I’m focused on finding one bird species, other birds appear as if they want to be noticed too. Here are a much of ‘other birds’ from recent visits to Zealandia, enjoy!
