canyonwalker (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
canyonwalker) wrote2024-04-12 04:33 pm
canyonwalker) wrote2024-04-12 04:33 pm
Entry tags:
A New Bird Joins the Nest
New Zealand Travelog #14
Te Anau, NZ - Thu, 11 Apr 2024, 8pm
I almost forgot— a new bird joined our nest today! As the check-in desk for our fiords cruise today we perused the gift shop. Hawk was looking for a better rain poncho while I was looking for a packable lunch more compelling than a protein bar. 😅 Then I spotted a bird in a basket of bird toys that had the characteristics of a raptor: large, powerful beak; ceres (the nostrils behind the beak); wide mouth; large eyes. It's a Karearea, a falcon native to New Zealand.
Her tag says Karearea normally prey on small to medium size birds, which they catch on the wing— typical for falcons, and very impressive to see happen live— but will also prey on rabbits and other small mammals. I guess it depends on how hungry they are— and whether they have to feed a nest of chicks.
The Karearea is one of actually very few native predators in New Zealand. Unlike Australia where seemingly everything is trying to kill you, it's like New Zealand has been defanged for your comfort. A few predators were brought here by Western colonizers, and they cause no end of trouble even though they're relatively small. Possums were brought over for their fur. Apparently when combined with wool it makes a durable and comfortable material. And rats were brought over because, well, you basically can't not bring rats on a ship. Both are a big threat to a number of native New Zealand bird species— including the Karearea, whose eggs and chicks they eat.
Te Anau, NZ - Thu, 11 Apr 2024, 8pm
I almost forgot— a new bird joined our nest today! As the check-in desk for our fiords cruise today we perused the gift shop. Hawk was looking for a better rain poncho while I was looking for a packable lunch more compelling than a protein bar. 😅 Then I spotted a bird in a basket of bird toys that had the characteristics of a raptor: large, powerful beak; ceres (the nostrils behind the beak); wide mouth; large eyes. It's a Karearea, a falcon native to New Zealand.
Her tag says Karearea normally prey on small to medium size birds, which they catch on the wing— typical for falcons, and very impressive to see happen live— but will also prey on rabbits and other small mammals. I guess it depends on how hungry they are— and whether they have to feed a nest of chicks.
The Karearea is one of actually very few native predators in New Zealand. Unlike Australia where seemingly everything is trying to kill you, it's like New Zealand has been defanged for your comfort. A few predators were brought here by Western colonizers, and they cause no end of trouble even though they're relatively small. Possums were brought over for their fur. Apparently when combined with wool it makes a durable and comfortable material. And rats were brought over because, well, you basically can't not bring rats on a ship. Both are a big threat to a number of native New Zealand bird species— including the Karearea, whose eggs and chicks they eat.
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