Before I get into the story of this magnificent bird, I need to remind everyone that has rung me in the past 36 years on talk-back radio, that apples are susceptible to codling moth infestation.
The small beginnings of the fruit are developing on your trees.
Those tiny fruitlets are known in English as “Codlings”, hence the name for the moth who’s caterpillars love to invade these codlings: Codling moth.
Avoid the caterpillars tunnelling into your tiny, developing fruit!
MADEX is the spray to use from now on; every two weeks or so until February.
Madex is a codling moth granulosis virus that will affect the small brutes before they enter the apple. Only works on Codling moth species (Cydia pomonella); and the virus will not harm us either.
Kokako
Last week I spent a few days at Pukaha, Mt Bruce (North Wairarapa). This Wonderful Natural Reserve used to be called Mount Bruce National Wildlife Centre and managed by the Wildlife Service.
Situated in 1000 hectares of pretty impressive forest. There’s been some logging in the past, but now well taken care of. Great Forest Ecosystem and an ideal place to have some of our rare species.
From Kiwi to Kokako – from translocated individuals to Captive-bred specimens; but also Native species that are protected through intensive trapping.
It’s the only place in the world (as far as I know) where you can chat with an 18 year old imprinted Kokako that used to be reared by a male DOC employee with a beard.
That bird will only talk to men, preferably with a beard!
It learned to whistle and imitates a heap of sounds (clacking tongues!), while sitting 25 centimetres from your face, on the other side of the enclosure’s mesh.
Kahurangi preening. Photo / Supplied
Her name is Kahurangi and I’ve had many conversations with that bird.
It hops through the aviary (Kokako glide, rather than fly) and shows great agility, just like its mates in the wild forests.
As a bird-Nerd, I have seen Kokako many times, despite the fact they tend to be pretty rare (Bay of Plenty, Puketi Forest, Little Barrier, Tiritiri Matangi, Pureora, Hunua); I love them… and I love their wonderful sounds, the gliding flight and hopping in the canopy of our forests.
In 2011 we moved to the South Island and that first summer my son and I decided to explore the west coast for a few days. Driving south from Haast and past Hannah’s Clearing, the road is straight and fringed by tall forest – there’s just a few meters of sky visible above. And against that sky I saw a kokako fly for just a few seconds.
Unmistakeable!
But it took me a few moments to realise I was in the South Island and therefore this was likely a South Island Kokako – presumed to be extinct.
I opened the window of the car while slowing down and could faintly hear the characteristic call.
That was all I saw and heard – we looked and listened for quite some time…
After some discussions with members of the South Island Kokako Charitable Trust (Rhys Buckingham and the late Ron Nilsson) I learned that I was rather close to one of the last confirmed sightings of this amazing endemic New Zealand wattle bird
I will never, ever forget that fleeting encounter.
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