​It's easy to get swept away with the in-your-face drama of yellow kōwhai filled with feasting birds, but spring brings subtle pleasures too. This week, I've swapped out my birding lens for an "Art" lens and sought out the delicate, tiny, and hidden. From the remnants of tree daisy flowers to a hidden parrot tulip, there were many subjects to photograph.

Thanks to the iNaturalist (a website where you can upload observations and get identifications), I learned these were not flowers but the bracts left over from flowering coastal tree daisies (Olearia solandri). In the typical weird New Zealand way, these daisies are scrubby trees. They look more like a weed or something nondescript at first blush, but up close, they are beautiful! 

While Linton was weighing the takahē at Zealandia (both Nio and Orbell are healthy weights, I'm glad to report), I searched the nearby bushes for more treasures and found this tiny lonesome karamū (Coprosma) berry. They usually come in clusters and are quickly wolfed down by hungry birds over winter, but somehow this one escaped attention.

Although not tiny in the slightest, I thought I'd include an iconic koru - the spiral-shaped frond of an unfurling mamaku tree fern. Another example of New Zealand plants doing an Alice-in-Wonderland thing of being much larger than their relatives elsewhere. These ferns are indeed the size of trees and the koru are around 20cm across.

Back home, I took a wander around the garden and found this stunning parrot tulip hiding under it's leaves. A wise flower, for it would have taken a beating from the late winter storm we just had with hail and sleet. These gorgeous flowers look like a painting - I'm glad one survived!

Have you noticed subtle but gorgeous signs of spring (or fall) where you are?

After a dreary wet winter, we're all desperately searching for signs of spring. Yesterday, after a brief gap between rain and more rain, we ventured out to nearby Ōtari-Wilton's Bush to find some early-flowering kōwhai. It was quite disconcerting how many slips we passed along the way. Over the weekend, Ōtari itself had also experienced a massive slip. 

For those outside of Wellington, Ōtari is a botanic garden specializing in native and endemic plants of Aotearoa, including the overshore islands. It also has a remnant of original Pōneke forest, with a huge rimu tree pride of place. It is an incredible natural asset to Wellington, providing native forest for the birds spilling over from Zealandia EcoSanctuary.

This glorious kōwhai put us in good cheer. It's in the Chatham Islands collection, and unlike some kōwhai, has both flowers and leaves at the same time. It is a bird magnet, with not much else flowering yet. 

As you might guess, there was one very stroppy tūī who decided he owned the tree. He spent most of his time fending off three kākā for the nectar goodness. One of the kākā was a youngster, purple-banded earlier this year at nearby Zealandia, now off exploring the big wide world, so that was lovely to see!

It was interesting to see how the different birds approached feeding. The tūī inserts its bill directly down the kōwhai flower and uses its long brush-tipped tongue to lap up the nectar. It often needs to stretch to get to the flowers. By comparison, the kākā grabs a footfull of kōwhai flowers to pull them closer, then uses its huge but delicate beak and tongue to get directly into the base of the flower. They too have a brush-tipped tongue. Both bird species end up with their faces dusted thickly with kōwhai pollen, pollinating the flowers as they gorge on the nectar.

In search of spring, I was also recently inspired to create this embellished watercolour artwork "Dreaming of Spring", featuring native puawhananga (Clematis paniculata). 

Although I spend most of my time in the digital world where there are billions of colours to hand, it's hard to resist pigmented paints, filled with history and lore. This piece was created with just three pigments: vivacious French Ultramarine, moody Perylene Green, and mysterious Serpentine. The latter is a wonderful green pigment from Australia that granulates into green and burnt scarlet particles, given huge depth and texture. I love how these three colours play together. I couldn't resist some gold accents to bring it to life and add extra cheer. Given the positive reaction to this piece, it's now available as an embellished print where the gold stamen are hand-painted giving each print a touch of joy and uniqueness.

Are you seeing signs of spring yet?

Father figures come in all sorts of shapes, sizes, genders, ages, and flavours, but I know many are huge bird fans. Does your father figure have an elaborate bird feeder? Perhaps yours loves tramping in the forest, immersing themselves in the sounds of green. Or are they like Chris, always craning their head to see who's calling high in the sky? Maybe your Pa is like Richard who's learned how to speak pīwakawaka and has a tiny flock following him around the garden? How about all the dads who slog their guts out every weekend checking rat traps to ensure baby birds survive in their nests? 

I'm not one to create art with certain genders or stereotypes in mind, but over the years, I've noticed that some of my artworks are especially loved by fathers (and people buying gifts for their fathers).

The most popular has to be The Scenic Route (pictured at the top), featuring Dad and the kids out for a kākā's equivalent of a Sunday drive (and with fuel prices these days, a lost pleasure). This piece makes a great combination with the gentleman ornithologist (humanologist?) "The Bird Watcher" (below).

I've also noticed a special reverence for the might and power of birds of prey, with "I Spy (ruru)" an immediate hit among owl art lovers. Another newish piece is our Skrark Art photographic print "Karearea Profile."

If your Dad is a fan of redbands, a pint, and a laugh, then "A Real Kiwi Joker" might be the perfect match! But did you know that kiwi pukupuku dads are also amazing stay-at-home fathers? They are responsible for all the egg incubating and chick raising (which is understandable when you learn that female kiwi are laying eggs that are around one-quarter their body weight - which is apparently like giving birth to a full-sized toddler according to my kiwi researcher friends 😮). Kiwi dads are awesome!

Finally, this list wouldn't be complete without a tūī. Everyone's favourite, but I know you can't go wrong with "In all his glory," who is especially popular.

So if you're wondering what to get Dad for Father's Day, a birthday, or other special occasion, an artwork featuring their favourite bird is a pretty good choice. Do take a look at my full collection - there's bound to be something your Dad will love! Or get in touch if you would like more suggestions.

What is your father's favourite bird?

Wonderful news from my fine-art printer, Oliver Zavala, from Picaflor Fine-Art Printing. He won in the "Specialty Products ~ Limited Edition & Fine Art Prints" category at the recent Pride in Print Awards with
"A Hidden World (kākāpō)" extra-large print! Oliver prints all my extra-large paper prints, which are too big for me to print, and he does a fabulous job. I'm delighted to hear that the judges agree!
This gorgeous fine-art print comes in multiple sizes and includes a 10% donation to Kākāpō Recovery. Based on reference photos from the lovely Andrew Digby from Kākāpō Recovery.

This is one of the few artworks that Linton has named. He was fortunate to have helped with a transmitter change on Anchor Island a few years ago, so has experienced how special it is to be among kākāpō on  a restricted island. Here's hoping the various efforts to bring kākāpō back to the mainland will be successful so more of us can experience these amazing manu.

From limited-edition fine art prints, to TinyArts, to personalized postage stamps, this boy sold out completely. He's now only available occasionally as a TinyArt piece or (in the future) gift ephemera. 

These adorable fantails have raced up the charts, ever since their predecessor, The Secret, sold out. At the time of writing, the large limited-edition prints of "The Chase (pīwakawaka)" have completely sold out, but small and medium prints are still available. These cuties are especially popular as TinyArt pieces too.

This adorable morepork has swooped up the charts to number three, and is the number one piece supporting Forest & Bird. Sweet Dreams looks amazing big or small and suits so many different types of framing. From rustic to gold, plain to fancy, she's just gorgeous! At the time of writing, she's still available as a limited-edition print in all sizes, but will soon start running out, especially the large prints. Like the others, she's also popular as a TinyArt piece, and I can't make enough of them.

These irresistible moss chickens were a late entry in 2021 but made a huge splash, quickly ousting other contenders from the top 5 spot. Based on photos of Sinbad and Hoki by Andrew Digby from Kākāpō Recovery, I set them in a magical cove that had people guessing where in Aotearoa it was (it's a cove in the Bay of Many Coves in the Marlborough Sounds). Hubby Linton came up with the name "A Hidden World (kākāpō)" after his experiences tracking kākāpō on remote Anchor Island. More recently, plans are forming to reintroduce kākāpō to the mainland, so perhaps their world won't be quite so hidden and more of us will be able to experience these incredible parrots in the wild. Because this is such a new print, there are still limited-edition prints available in all sizes. And unlike my other prints, there are two variations - square and rectangular - and people have strong preferences for one or the other. Which do you prefer?

If it wasn't for those charismatic kākāpō latecomers, "Her Mystery (tūī)" would be in the top 5. You've probably noticed that I love a gothic stormy backdrop, and the tūī colours suit that scene perfectly. She was created as a companion piece to our number one bird...

For the fourth year in a row, a tūī comes in at number 1! And this fella is number 1 by far, with over twice the number of prints sold and raising 50% more than the next on the list. He is "His magnificence (tūī)." In 2021, he appeared on huge digital billboards throughout New Zealand thanks to the online shopping portal Chooice as well as being included on their banner for months. He's also featured much smaller - as a personalized postage stamp (now sold out) - and at every size in between. Paired with "Her Mystery (tūī)", they make a stunning couple. 
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Many of you will have met this particular tūī - he's the stroppy fella that defends the Tūī Terrace sugar water feeder at Zealandia.

Limited edition prints of His magnificence (tūī) are still available in all sizes, so maybe we'll continue to see his run in next year's top bird announcement! 

Thank you for all your support - every little bit you do makes a huge difference in raising the profile of our gorgeous native birds. From liking and commenting on social media posts, to telling a friend about your favourite bird artwork, to supporting wildlife through your art purchases, it's appreciated!

If you'd like to know which artworks support which conservation organizations, just take a look at the back of a print or TinyArt. It's also indicated on the description for each piece in my online gallery.

Do let me know in the comments which bird/artwork is your favourite, and who you'd like to see on the list in 2023!

Aroha nui

Judi

P.S. If you're curious as to who came out on top in previous years, check out:

• 2020-21 which bird raised the most
• 2019-20 can you guess which bird raised the most
• 2018-19 which bird raised the most funds
• 2017-18 which artwork raised the most funds for conservation

I can't help but anthropomorphize the fungi and cast them as characters - they are so full of personality.

This one reminds me of two parents and the kids, but one is a salty teenager who is embarrassed to be seen in public with them! ​

And these cuties are the spitting image of me and my baby brother! Move the slider back and forth and tell me I'm imagining it!

I call this one "The Wellingtonians" as they have that permanent wind-swept look.

Fungi are also super-fun to paint. Though doing this one tiny piece "Fungi & Friends at Zealandia"
just about blinded me despite the magnifying glasses and magnifying lamp! This is another of my "observational" mixed-media watercolour doodles where I challenge myself to paint 9 things I've seen on a photo-shoot. This one features fungi seen on recent trips to Zealandia, and of course, there is always a toutouwai friend to help. Not to mention some human ones too! Thanks to Hayley, Janice and Linton for the spotting, sherpa-ing, hints, and company.

I've also released some of my favourite fungi photos as fine-art prints, and made a category here for all the originals, prints, and TinyArts so fungi fanatics can find everything in one place!

I do hope you've enjoyed this foray into fungi - do let me know if you'd like to see more!

Even with the best gear, it's HARD to get a great bird photo in the forest. The light is usually low and can also be dappled with harsh highlights and dark shadows. Recently, Zealandia EcoSanctuary asked me for my best tips for photographing in these circumstances. If you've not been to Zealandia, it's a deep valley running roughly north-south so there is little-to-no early and late low-angled daylight and there is a lot of scrubby bush that gives dappled light. There are, however, many rare and endangered birds that we're all keen to photograph!

A lot of folk turn to flash photography to get enough light. I'm anti-flash for most bird photography. It's not good for the birds, especially those with sensitive eyesight, and it usually looks unnatural anyway. Instead of flash photography, there are a variety of things you can try. Some are free and some cost money. Some are practical and some are technical. My favourite advice is always to focus first on the free and practical things. Only once you've exhausted those options should you consider opening your wallet.

When you're fussing around with your camera and angles, don't forget to mind the wildlife and their home! Always be prepared to abandon the shot if it means protecting the critter.

Birds and other critters show stress in different ways to humans and what might seem innocuous to us, may not be to them. For instance, they might freeze rather than fly, their heart-rates sky-rocketing and cortisol levels shooting up, waiting for you to bugger off. But to you it might look like they're sitting there unbothered. There can be telltale signs though, depending on the species, so do your homework too. Be especially careful when photographing a nesting bird - if they get too stressed they may abandon the nest.

And it's worth repeating, when it comes to flash photography, I never use it with birds. Even if it was OK to use, the resulting images rarely look natural with harsh shadows and light coming from the wrong direction, so it's just not worth it. Some cameras and mobile phones are set to automatically flash when the light is low, but this feature can and should be turned off. It's far better to choose when flash is needed and turn it on specifically.

What have you found increases your odds of a great bird photo?

The only thing I hate about being a photo-artist is that it's hard to take advantage of all the yummy things in an art supply shop and it's much harder to post interesting progress photos showing all the delicious pigments and brushes used. Both are irresistable - more addictive than catnip! A photo of a Wacom tablet and stylus, or a printer and a box of printer ink, does not have the same appeal as a messy swathe of colour on a palette and a dripping brush!

But that's not the only reason I've taken up more mixed-media work to augment my photo-artistry. One thing I'm learning is that to keep inspiration going and skills progressing, it really helps to get more experience working with different artistic media. It has helped make me more observant and it's helped me tap back into the joy of creating for creatings sake - what I like to think of as a beginner's mindset. It's not really just an excuse to nip down to Gordon Harris or fill up a basket at Takapuna Art Supplies - honest!

Artist Karen Rankin is to blame - she started me on the slippery slope of mixed media when I bought a gorgeous kākā painting from her, all blinged up with shimmery inks and pearlescent pastels. She encouraged me to incorporate some shimmer into my photo-art (which can't be printed with a standard fine-art printer), and I've since used them in a variety of ways, including embellishing fine-art prints by hand, like "The Boffin" pictured above.

Creating with a beginner's mindset gives me more freedom to create for the hell of it, to make mistakes, and to experiment. Although I still have a ton to learn about photography and photo-artistry, I feel a basic competence and confidence when I pick up my tools, but I'm also in the mindset that this is how I make my living so I better get it right, which is not necessarily the best mindset for creativity.

A beginner's mindset is not without its challenges though. When I pick up a paintbrush, the insecurities flood in.  I hate failing (don't we all) and I know the only way to get any better at anything is to put the hours in. I'm finding it takes some fortitude to apply the paint to the paper and risk wasting expensive supplies. It can be 4:30 in the afternoon before I'm ready to commit and get started. But every now and then, a piece turns out great, and I'm inspired to keep on trying new things and creating.

It's that time of the year when the Zealandia valley fills with the sounds of "Mum, mum, mum, mum" as newly fledged kākā chicks are weaned and taught how to fend for themselves. On a late afternoon walk yesterday, I heard those unmistakable cries near the Top Dam kākā feeders, and after a bit of hunting found the culprit high up a tree being tended by her Mum. It was none other than RB-M - the very first chick we banded this season and the first fledgling I've seen out of the nest this season. You might remember her from this story... 

RB-M's mum is the lovely V-YW. She's about ten years old now (lordy how time flies!) and unusually became a mother at a very young age - at just one year old. She's onto at least her second fella though, this time an unbanded chap of unknown parentage.

Despite having fledged over six weeks ago, RB-M is still quite clumsy and gravity is not her friend. Kākā cannot fly when they fledge - it can take them a couple of weeks to get the hang of it and even longer to get proficient. Thank goodness we have the Zealandia fence to keep predators out and give these fledgling a good start in life!

A perfect way to end a lovely summer afternoon at Zealandia!

In the coming days and weeks, do keep an eye and ear out for these hilarious characters. If they have a large purple cohort band, you'll know it's a youngster. There are also unbanded fledglings out there too, and it can be hard at a glance to differentiate them from their mothers. The mothers also have yellow eye rings and will beg for food too. The chicks, however, appear much more gormless and naive, and their feathers are usually fresher too.

Earlier this week, I was checking on some kākā nestboxes at Zealandia EcoSanctuary. We do this to get an estimate of the chicks ages so we know when to band them (see this previous blog on banding baby kākā). There are special protocols we follow when checking boxes to minimize disturbance, so there can be a lot of waiting around.

Through incubation, and when the chicks are very young, Mama spends most of her time in the box, coming out every hour for a break and a feed from Papa. Once the chicks are bigger and older, she'll spend more time out of the box, entering to feed and preen the chicks, and to make more nesting material by peeling the wooden panels inside into shavings.

The nestbox porthole is the way kākā get in and out of the nest. For us humans, we have a hinged door on the side that we can open to get full access. It's totally up to these wild kākā to use these boxes if they wish to. Plenty choose not to and instead find natural nests in tree cavities. There are about 35 nestboxes throughout the Zealandia valley.

It's not until the chicks are about 7 weeks old that they start climbing the inside of the nestbox and testing their wings. Nestbox monitors will report hearing the scratching as they climb up and then the flapping of wings before the inevitable thud as they fall back into the nest, often to complaints from their nestmates. By about 8 weeks they're ready to fledge and will spend a lot of time climbing up and looking out, until one day, with some coaxing from Mama and Papa, they'll take a leap of faith and flutter-fall down to the ground ready to take on the world. Fortunately the nestboxes are all low to the ground but natural nests can be many metres up a tree.

It takes at least a couple of weeks to learn to fly with confidence, so initially the chicks climb everywhere. They're incredibly vulnerable to predation at this stage, which is why it's so important to attract our wild kākā to nest in the fenced Zealandia valley where they are safe from predators. The Zealandia fence is not just any old fence - it's scientifically designed to keep out predators. Kākā who breed outside the valley in suburban Wellington reserves suffer a much higher attrition rate due to predation from cats, dogs, stoats, weasels and other mammalian predators.

We are so fortunate to have this amazing rare manu in our city and it's been a privilege to be involved in their breeding success. This season's cohort are getting gorgeous purple bands - be on the look-out for them as they've started fledging and will soon be showing up at the kākā feeding stations at Zealandia.

For over a decade now (how time flies!), Linton and I have helped run the kākā conservation and research program at Zealandia EcoSanctuary as volunteers. In earlier days, we were focused on the conservation aspects and the chicks were closely monitored throughout the season. Now the focus is more on research and the aim is to enable researchers to easily identify individual kākā at a distance. To do this, we attach three coloured rings to their legs when they are still nestlings. They're about six weeks old, full of personality and with nearly fully-grown legs, but without the strength in their jaws to bite hard - the perfect age! 

Working hands-on with wild native birds and banding them requires significant training, permits, and certification from the Department of Conservation.​

At Zealandia, we have around 35 artifical nestboxes that the wild kākā can choose to use. Many choose natural nest cavities instead. We now only monitor and band those kākā in the nestboxes, rather than the entire population, so there are many unbanded kākā about.

At banding age, we take one chick out of the nestbox at a time, let them have a stress crap and then immediately pop them into a cloth bag for weighing. Kākā typically have 1 to 6 chicks, rarely 7, with most nests ending up with around 3-4 chicks varying over a 5 day age range. This nest has 4 chicks, all girls.

A single coloured cohort band, indicating the season, is attached to one leg and two narrower coloured metal bands are attached to the other. The colour combinations are unique. The purple band is coded M for Mauve (as we already use P for Pink). The cohort band also has a unique number embossed on it. These records are kept by the Banding Office of the Department of Conservation.

Mama kākā usually turns up when she hears the skrarking of the first chick coming out of the nest. She may or may not hang around for the entire banding process. She will also call in her posse of friends, who all yell at us until they get bored. Occasionally, they'll throw sticks down on us, but the parents never think to attack us despite having a swiss-army knife for a beak!

As of the end of last season, we've banded over 1100 kākā at Zealandia - an amazing result from a founding population of just 14 birds, twenty years ago. They're now a common sight throughout Wellington, and it gives me great joy to have them visit our garden nearly every day.

Rachael's latest kākā project is fascinating - she's using AI algorithms to recognise individual kākā from mugshots. The kākā, of course, have other ideas, and have done everything from licking the camera lens, to throwing the camera down a steep bank! She and her students have some significant challenges to overcome!

I must admit that in our household, we call this game not Wingspan, but a Game of F***s. Most of the cards are referred to as Little Sh**s or Useless F***s, because they don't help the current goals. But some birds are totally awesome like the Wedge-tailed Eagle, Great-horned owl, Puffin, Little Penguin, and the Black Noddy. Worth loads of points, these birds also look gorgeous on the board.

Having played so many games, we've developed "House Rules" including:

1. If you get the Spangled Drongo, you must call out "Spangled Drongo!" loudly using your best Ocker accent. What a name for a bird!

5. And finally, for those with the Oceania expansion pack, one of the round goals is "No goal" which we think sucks because it decreases the total points achievable. [Updated July 2022 - the kind people on the Wingspan Facebook group let me know that I've been play "No goal" all wrong LOL - but our house rule is still fun to play regardless]. Instead, we have a house-rule that it's for "NZ birds played" but as you will have likely guessed we call it the "NZ F***ks" round. We use NZ Birds Online as the adjudicator as to whether the bird is "NZ" or not, and refer to looking up a bird as "Consulting Colin" after Colin Miskelly, who created this amazing resource. It's turned into our favourite round goal. It's fascinating to see how many vagrants we get (did you know NZ has kookaburras?).

I can't wait for the next expansion pack to come out - yes I'm addicted!
​
Do you play Wingspan? Do you agree it's the best game ever? Do you have some fun house rules too?

P.S. This is not a paid or solicited review, I'm just a dedicated fan.

With Wellington moving into Level 2, we took advantage of Zealandia reopening, masked-up, and went hunting for signs of spring. I do hope you're able to get out and enjoy nature in your neighbourhood, and that you enjoy this wee photo essay...

That is until a month ago, when the kākā kura's mum, Pinky-B, showed up with a pink head! She was obviously going through a moult and when I saw her again about a month later she was even pinker with perhaps some orange/burgundy tones in her brown feathers. Now I've known Pinky-B since 2008 when I first started nestbox monitoring, and she's always been a normal-looking kākā with a grey head, yellow-orange cheeks, grey-brown top feathers, and reddish underfluffies. Why now, after all these years, would she start turning pink?
​

I know I have a lot of vet, ornithologist, and bird researcher readers, so I'd love to know your thoughts as to why she'd be experiencing a colour change! My (possibly incorrect) understanding was that a colour morph was a genetic variation so we'd expect a morph to be that colour throughout its life span. Is there perhaps an epigenetic influence in the environment that's switching these genes on? Or is it perhaps a metabolic issue? 

By way of comparison, here's a couple of photos showing the earlier kākā kura (daughter of Pinky-B), who was far more orangy-pink all over, and a normal-coloured kākā (other than the gold tummy feathers). 

It's tax time - my favourite time of year! Really? Seriously? It's true... it's when I tally up the donations to conservation through art sales from the previous year. Today I donated over $3300 for the birds, on your behalf. We made donations to Zealandia, Forest & Bird, Hihi Recovery, Capital Kiwi, and World Parrot Trust. And it was only possible thanks to your support - everything from liking and commenting on posts on social media, visiting exhibitions, sharing emails with friends, to buying art all makes a difference in getting the word out and supporting the birds.
​
So which bird raised the most funds? For the third year in a row, the tūī of course. Four of the top five pieces in 2020/2021 featured NZ's favourite bird...

1. His Resplendence  (tūī) - supporting Forest & Bird. "Mr Popular" ran away with it, nearly doubling the amount raised by the second bird on the list. Limited-edition prints are now completely sold out everywhere, except for one small Artist's Proof. I'll continue to release framed TinyArt pieces though, so he'll continue to make an impact on conservation.

2. A New View  (tūī) - supporting Zealandia. This funny tūī has brought joy to so many people! I now only have large limited-edition prints left. Again, I'll continue to release TinyArt pieces. Meanwhile, I'm on the search for more funny tūī, but they are usually so regal and stylish and don't let their comical side show so often. 

3. The Scenic Route (kākā) - an open edition print so these funny characters will always be available and helping support Zealandia. 

4. Portrait of a Tūī - supporting Zealandia. Last year's top bird, but he's now nearly sold out so has fallen down the ranks. I have just one large print left, but there is a handful of other sizes still available in galleries. 

5. Forever Calling Me (tūī) - supporting Forest & Bird. A new kid on the block, the release of this tūī artwork suffered due to Covid-related exhibition cancellations, so he's never really seen the light of day. Despite these setbacks, medium and large prints have been really popular in the galleries, giving this tūī with his gorgeous iridescent wings the number 5 position. 

Hoo do you think will be the top bird next year? An early peek at the figures so far reveals there might be a surprise upset... and there was a hint in the previous sentence 🤔