Cheeky Kea eyes up the camera.
The first day began with a quick trip to the
supermarket and then off we went!
First stop is Klondyke Corner where we
stopped to check on Hobo. You may have seen some articles about him in the news
lately. He has had his leg amputated and been released back where he was found.
His transmitter signal was nice and strong which is great news!
Then we were off to the Death's Corner lookout
and another close by to do some Kea repellent testing. Two rods are used; one
is painted with repellent, and one is not. We watched for half an hour to see
if the Kea would chew the repellent or not. If they do chew it, it should make
them feel a bit sick and not want to chew it again. The ones we saw today seemed
quite happy to chew it more than once! While we were doing the trial, it was
awesome to watch the birds interacting with their environment. There were two Kea
that were still young (about one) that jumped onto a man’s car as he was
driving away, and pulled something out of his aerial and a big bit of his
rubber door seal! So naughty, but incredible how fast they can do it!
Tomorrow, we are heading to the HawdonValley
to check on a couple of nests and put bands and transmitters on some chicks - can't
wait!
Check out Sarah's other blogs below:
Part One - Kea Conservation Trust Capers
Part Three - Learning on the Road
Part Four - The days are just packed!
Part Five - Telemetry and Transmitters
Part Six - The End of the Trip