Kākā spread their wings, trade sanctuary for urban living
A kākā makes itself at home in a Dunedin garden, near the Kensington Oval yesterday. PHOTO: SUPPLIED
Telling people you have seen a flying pig is probably not a good idea.
But if you have seen an endangered kākā flying around the Dunedin CBD lately, you are not going crazy.
A Dunedin resident living near the Kensington Oval said she got a hell of a fright a couple of days ago when the native parrot flew into her lounge window.
"It was spread-eagled against the window.
"And the dog went crazy.
"Then it flew into the tree and sat there for a while, like right outside our window.
"It was amazing. And then it flew away."
She said it returned again yesterday.
"It was sitting in the apple tree, just having a big munch on a Granny Smith. It loved it.
"It didn't seem to be bothered that we were there."
It had also been eating wild banana passionfruit from a vine in the area.
She had since notified the Department of Conservation and the Orokonui Ecosanctuary of the sighting, and the ecosanctuary had advised her not to feed it, or even give it sugar water.
"They said if we gave it sugar water, we were in danger of giving it a bacterial infection, and we should just leave it be."
Kākā are skilled at finding food in spaces that are healthy for them, but they are curious and can be harmed by encounters with foreign foods, objects and predatory species.
Ecosanctuary staff urged Dunedin residents to support the parrots by not offering food or sugar water; avoiding socialising with them; keeping pets inside; engaging in habitat regeneration of native plants; and improving predator control such as traps for rats, stoats, ferrets and weasels.
Ecosanctuary operations manager Elton Smith said her report was one of many about kākā flying around the greater Dunedin area in recent weeks.
"We have been aware of at least one kākā flying around in the city for the past three weeks or so.
"There's also been kākā seen in Mosgiel, Warrington, Waitati — those sort of areas."
The kākā was "guaranteed" to be from the Orokonui Ecosanctuary.
They could fly up to 20km in a day, and he believed it was part of a natural dispersal, where the birds left the ecosanctuary to find their own space.
"At Orokonui, we're probably reaching our capacity in terms of kākā," Mr Smith said.
"So the ones we do have are now establishing themselves outside the sanctuary — they're getting around, looking for new territory.
"There's only so many kākā we can have inside, and in order to have a large, robust kākā population, they do need to establish outside the sanctuary.
"There are more and more observations from the general public that would suggest that's what's happening.
"And there's been good evidence to show that they have been breeding on the outside, too."
Mr Smith was delighted to see they were surviving on their own, outside the boundaries of the ecosanctuary.
"It is really good news. It's a sign that the population is increasing."
He believed they would become a much more frequent sight around the Dunedin area in coming years, as the outside population grew.
"It should be like what's happened in Wellington.
"They started off in a sanctuary, and now they're very common, all throughout Wellington and beyond."
john.lewis@odt.co.nz
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Otago Daily Times
3 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
Kākā spread their wings, trade sanctuary for urban living
A kākā makes itself at home in a Dunedin garden, near the Kensington Oval yesterday. PHOTO: SUPPLIED Telling people you have seen a flying pig is probably not a good idea. But if you have seen an endangered kākā flying around the Dunedin CBD lately, you are not going crazy. A Dunedin resident living near the Kensington Oval said she got a hell of a fright a couple of days ago when the native parrot flew into her lounge window. "It was spread-eagled against the window. "And the dog went crazy. "Then it flew into the tree and sat there for a while, like right outside our window. "It was amazing. And then it flew away." She said it returned again yesterday. "It was sitting in the apple tree, just having a big munch on a Granny Smith. It loved it. "It didn't seem to be bothered that we were there." It had also been eating wild banana passionfruit from a vine in the area. She had since notified the Department of Conservation and the Orokonui Ecosanctuary of the sighting, and the ecosanctuary had advised her not to feed it, or even give it sugar water. "They said if we gave it sugar water, we were in danger of giving it a bacterial infection, and we should just leave it be." Kākā are skilled at finding food in spaces that are healthy for them, but they are curious and can be harmed by encounters with foreign foods, objects and predatory species. Ecosanctuary staff urged Dunedin residents to support the parrots by not offering food or sugar water; avoiding socialising with them; keeping pets inside; engaging in habitat regeneration of native plants; and improving predator control such as traps for rats, stoats, ferrets and weasels. Ecosanctuary operations manager Elton Smith said her report was one of many about kākā flying around the greater Dunedin area in recent weeks. "We have been aware of at least one kākā flying around in the city for the past three weeks or so. "There's also been kākā seen in Mosgiel, Warrington, Waitati — those sort of areas." The kākā was "guaranteed" to be from the Orokonui Ecosanctuary. They could fly up to 20km in a day, and he believed it was part of a natural dispersal, where the birds left the ecosanctuary to find their own space. "At Orokonui, we're probably reaching our capacity in terms of kākā," Mr Smith said. "So the ones we do have are now establishing themselves outside the sanctuary — they're getting around, looking for new territory. "There's only so many kākā we can have inside, and in order to have a large, robust kākā population, they do need to establish outside the sanctuary. "There are more and more observations from the general public that would suggest that's what's happening. "And there's been good evidence to show that they have been breeding on the outside, too." Mr Smith was delighted to see they were surviving on their own, outside the boundaries of the ecosanctuary. "It is really good news. It's a sign that the population is increasing." He believed they would become a much more frequent sight around the Dunedin area in coming years, as the outside population grew. "It should be like what's happened in Wellington. "They started off in a sanctuary, and now they're very common, all throughout Wellington and beyond."
RNZ News
5 days ago
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Otago Daily Times
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Family, friends, officials and fellow Green Hut Track Group members surround dedicated volunteer Arthur Blondell after he was presented with an Outdoor Access Champion Award last Thursday at Orokonui Ecosanctuary. Pictured in the front row are (from left) Herenga ā Nuku — Outdoor Access Commission board member Dr Hugh Logan, Mr Blondell's wife Teresa Wasilewska, Mr Blondell with his award, Department of Conservation ranger Felicity Sime, Green Hut Track Group co-ordinator Graeme Elliot and commission acting chief executive Phil Culling. Photo: Brenda Harwood The dedication of Dunedin man Arthur Blondell, who has spent the past 12 years building a safe public walking track in the Silverpeaks Scenic Reserve, has been recognised with a national Outdoor Access Champion Award. 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Green Hut Track Group co-ordinator Graeme Elliot said many of the group members who were at Thursday's ceremony had worked alongside Mr Blondell on constructing the track. "A lot of us here have worked with Arthur and have been challenged and inspired by him — it has been quite a journey and I want to thank him for that," Mr Elliot said. Mr Blondell told the gathering he was motivated to start work on the track in 2012 after the remote Philip J. Cox Memorial Hut — established in memory of his late friend — was built. Arthur Blondell at the junction of a series of tracks in the Silverpeaks Scenic Reserve near Dunedin. Photo: Graeme Elliot The hut was the second shelter on the Silverpeaks Circuit Track, which traversed steep, slippery slopes and dense undergrowth, and included river crossings that could be treacherous in poor weather. "The [new] track had been talked about for a long time, but no-one had gotten around to starting it — so I decided to pick up a shovel and get going," he said. Every Monday, Mr Blondell drove 40 minutes to the Silverpeaks Scenic Reserve, then walked a 200m descent to the track site. Self-funded and resourced, he carried his own tools in, as well as timber and other resources, storing them on-site. After navigating the track and clearing vegetation by hand, Mr Blondell embarked on the back-breaking work of digging and benching the track by hand, establishing water channels and constructing drainage. The Green Hut Track Group, a collective of mostly retired volunteers who have worked together every Wednesday to maintain tracks in the Silverpeaks for more than 20 years, found Mr Blondell in 2015, and spent many subsequent Mondays working alongside him. After five years, Dunedin Tracks and Trail guidebook author Antony Hamel led the inaugural tramp along Arthur's Track in August 2017. Following that milestone, Mr Blondell has continued his work to improve and maintain the track over the past seven years, to ensure it caters for trampers of a broad range of abilities. This has involved refining and re-routing the track to remove some of the steeper sections, introducing switchbacks and zig-zags to ease the gradient. The whole track now follows an easy contour, making it an enjoyable tramping experience, while still providing access to spectacular Silver Peaks views. "The track also links up the other tracks in the area, which helps to provide a better experience for trampers," he said. Dedicated volunteer Arthur Blondell (left) receives the Outdoor Access Champion Award from Herenga ā Nuku — Outdoor Access Commission board member Dr Hugh Logan during last week's award presentation ceremony at Orokonui Ecosanctuary. Photo: Brenda Harwood The Department of Conservation formally incorporated Arthur's Track into the Silverpeaks Circuit Track in May 2024. Mr Blondell paid tribute to the members of the Green Hut Track Group for their long-standing support for his passion project. "I want to thank all those who came along and helped throughout my time working on the track," he said. He was very pleased with the high standard of the track, which he hoped would encourage more people to use it. "Having the Silverpeaks in such close proximity to Dunedin makes it an ideal place to have a first outdoor experience. "It is a wonderful asset, and I hope we have enhanced it by putting the track through," he said. Dunedin Department of Conservation ranger Felicity Sime added her voice to the praise for the efforts of Mr Blondell and the Green Hut Track Group for their phenomenal work in completing Arthur's Track to such a high standard of safety and accessibility. "Arthur's relentless hard work and dedication will enable generations of people to explore and enjoy the Silverpeaks Scenic Reserve. The track is an absolute treasure," she said.
