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| Tama Snacking Image Supplied |
In 2013 we had a bit of training, and this was done as a group at the Rotorua Museum. One of the speakers at that training session was Debbie Stewart, the director of Wingspan, and I was amazed at her dedication to the conservation of birds of prey in New Zealand. The roster was explained and I chose the first shift of the day from 6.00 to 8.00am every Thursday. At each shift we were paired up with another person. Our tasks were to put food out for the karearea on the feeding platforms, fill in data sheets and monitor the karearea.
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| Maureen & Hatupatu Image supplied |
I liked monitoring the birds. My partner and I would walk around the Government Gardens and sometimes beyond, armed with an aerial, a telemetry receiver, a pair of binoculars, a camera and data sheets. During this time (often half in darkness) we were able to see the birds in action. At that time of the morning there wasn't a great deal of movement, and often it came from the top of the museum. It was one of the best times of the day to take photos. I felt like David Attenborough.
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| Image supplied |
At first the karearea didn't have names and we called them by the colour of the bands on their legs, orange (who was later called Te Rangi Rere I Waho aka Maureen), green (Tamatekapua aka Tama) and white (Hatupatu).
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| Maureen Snacking Image supplied |
The karearea found it hard to get from the ground back up to the roof of the museum when they were learning to fly, but they would try again and again until they did. They would fly back up in stages, from the ground to a low window ledge, then to a higher window ledge, to a turrett and over to their box.
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| Image supplied |
One particular time, I was standing in front of the museum when two of the karearea flew past me at about the level of my knees. It was amazing. They flew by so closely and quickly that I could feel the wind displacement as they beat their wings. They fly so close to the ground and their wing beat is fast. They play quite a bit and once they looked like they were playing a game similar to the human game of tag.
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| Maureen and Hatupatu Hanging Out Image supplied |
Their favourite places are playing on the bowling green, sitting in the palm trees in front of the museum and watching from the trees at the back of the museum and in front of the nursery.
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| Keeping Watch Image supplied |
This is the most fascinating project I have been involved in. Watching these awesome creatures develop and grow has been a privilege.
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| Hatupatu and Maureen on one of the Feeding Platforms Image supplied |
This post was written by Ani Sharland
