One thing about living out here that continually amazes me is the huge variety of bird life. Now we are just half an hour (or so, depending on the lead content of the foot) out of a city that is full of tuis and other native birds. But time after time, I turn around and there's a bird I haven't seen in years.
The first "Now I haven't heard that since I was a kid", was the morepork, or ruru. This tiny (as owls go) native owl is probably my favourite of all our birds. It's soft call of the same sound as its name always sees me stopping with my head cocked to find out where the noise came from. The big stand of Douglas firs on our boundary is home to these nocturnal birds, although quite often you will hear them during the day too.
We have a territorial harrier hawk, or kahu, who can be seen riding the thermals effortlessly for hours on end in search of food, although the one pictured belongs to churchmousenz's collection. Like all hawks, which differ from our native falcons, they have their own version of a Truckstop (roadkill) something they so often end up themselves because they can't get away quick enough. Our hawk is noticeably different because one of his/her legs dangles as he circles - probably proof that in the past, he/she was injured. I'll be looking out come June for the courtship sky dances these birds are renowned for. But having said that, I'll also make sure the chicken coop has netting and I do watch out for Ellie, our wee Maltese cross. She is just small enough to look like an albino rabbit!
This next photo is from projectkereru.co.nz, as I wasn't quick enough to have my camera on me a couple of weeks ago.
What really shocked Mum and I was the distinctive slow whapping noise the great wings of the wood pigeon, kereru, make as one flew right over our heads. I love these birds and while they were a great source of food for Maori early on, there are so few of them now in the overall scheme of things that they are justifiably protected. They are lovers of the berries of a few of our native trees, in particular the puriri tree and can get, according to some reports, quite drunk on them. They also love tree lucerne I am told, so I'll be looking out for this and planting it - just to entice them in to stay.
The one odd bird that we see a lot of around here is one I am waiting on a DOC member to identify for me. It looks like an egret, flies like one - but the colours are not like anything I have seen. They aren't interested in the cattle or their droppings as much as a cattle egret is, but something certainly catches their attention in the remnants of the grass in the early morning sunshine, which is the only time we see them. Very gregarious lot though, they seem to do everything together. Hopefully I will have an answer back from DOC in the next few days and when I do, I'll make sure I put it up. In the meantime, if any of you know what it is, I'd love to know!
Just yesterday I saw a bird I have not seen since I was a child - the kingfisher. I always wondered with that great beak of theirs whether or not they were a dwarf relative of Aussies kookaburra. Their vivid blue and yellow colours seemed to be everywhere when I was kid, but these days, like so many others, they are rarely seen.
Then of course there are the wee ones like the quail, which are plentiful here and the ever present magpies; a bird I respect in much the same way horse lovers respect Shetland ponies. Because they'll get you if you don't.
I had to laugh a couple of days ago. The sprinkler was on and a flock of sparrows were having a ball flying under the water, probably to have a bit of a bath and also a drink, although I do make sure that the birdbath is always full of water. Not that they use it much, as Rowan, our young German Shepherd believes she was given a license at birth to chase birds. She saw the sparrows having fun, chased them off and then decided they were onto a good thing...
The first "Now I haven't heard that since I was a kid", was the morepork, or ruru. This tiny (as owls go) native owl is probably my favourite of all our birds. It's soft call of the same sound as its name always sees me stopping with my head cocked to find out where the noise came from. The big stand of Douglas firs on our boundary is home to these nocturnal birds, although quite often you will hear them during the day too. 
The one odd bird that we see a lot of around here is one I am waiting on a DOC member to identify for me. It looks like an egret, flies like one - but the colours are not like anything I have seen. They aren't interested in the cattle or their droppings as much as a cattle egret is, but something certainly catches their attention in the remnants of the grass in the early morning sunshine, which is the only time we see them. Very gregarious lot though, they seem to do everything together. Hopefully I will have an answer back from DOC in the next few days and when I do, I'll make sure I put it up. In the meantime, if any of you know what it is, I'd love to know!
Just yesterday I saw a bird I have not seen since I was a child - the kingfisher. I always wondered with that great beak of theirs whether or not they were a dwarf relative of Aussies kookaburra. Their vivid blue and yellow colours seemed to be everywhere when I was kid, but these days, like so many others, they are rarely seen. 
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