For the love of kākā: 20 years at Zealandia

Last week, Linton was called upon to present a talk at Zealandia EcoSanctuary about his (our) nearly 20 years of volunteering with kākā. It was a wonderful trip down memory lane. I helped by compiling a shortlist of photos from a starting point of over 7,000 (and that's after deleting many thousands more over the years).

So today I thought I'd share some of my favourite photos, along with a potted history of what we've gotten up to over the years.

We started volunteering at Zealandia (then called the Karori Sanctuary) in 2003, when I convened the website group. Around 2007, we branched out into kiwi-counting and avi-aiding, where we helped prepare food for the kākā feeding stations. The aim of feeding them was to anchor these wild birds within the fenced sanctuary so that they would breed without the risk of mammalian predation. This year, kākā feeding was stopped due to the risk of bird flu. There is plenty of natural food for kākā, even in our urban environment. And with increased predator control in Wellington City, they are now more likely to survive if they breed outside the fence than when they were first reintroduced to Wellington.

Once addicted, we quickly graduated to the dawn-to-dusk survey, and then kākā nestbox monitoring in 2009. Nestbox monitoring involves visiting nest sites to identify the parents and check the progress of eggs and chicks. Very strict protocols are followed to minimise the impact on the kākā, but by and large, they are very tolerant of humans, and I've had many occasions where Dad would come and hang out with me while we waited for Mum to be done in the box.

In time, I took over responsibility for the entire monitoring programme—the first time a volunteer at Zealandia had been entrusted to do this. This included supervising and training 20+ volunteers, scheduling, writing protocols, compiling breeding success statistics, and doing a significant portion of the actual nestbox monitoring.

Blog: go behind the scenes of kākā nestbox monitoring

We were then trained to handle kākā nestlings for health checks, leg-banding, and microchipping. Linton even went on to become a certified bander (my hands were never strong enough to use the special pliers needed to clamp the rings) and has now banded more kākā than probably anyone else. This was by far the most amazing experience I've had in conservation. Literally holding a rare and endangered chick, feeling its little heartbeat and the warmth of its body spread into my fingers is so special. Especially for someone who spends most of her time in a virtual world in front of a computer.

Each kākā chick has its own personality, to the extent that I created a behaviourally-based scale to rate them on. When handling them, it's a constant negotiation to ensure they are comfortable and calm for the bander.

Blog: come along for kākā chick banding

Over the years, the programme shifted from conservation monitoring to research, and the need for twice-weekly checks decreased, along with a reduction in the volunteers needed. At that point, I decided to switch focus to other activities, like running the Storyteller group, creating the fundraising calendar, and running the Te Māra Toi Gallery at Zealandia. Linton took over the administration of the kākā banding programme, though I still help out where I can with my beloved kākā.

Kākā were, in fact, responsible for my segue into writing and photography. I wanted to tell everyone about what I was seeing and doing off-track at Zealandia. I started the “Kākā Diaries” on Twitter (back when it was a fun place to hang out), and then impersonated “Alfie Kaka” on Facebook for years, where he had a following larger than the main Zealandia Facebook page. And this led to wanting to create not just photographs of them, but art. It seemed the only way to fully express their stories and personalities. If you'd like to see the results, check out my kākā art collection.

Explore my kākā art collection

One of the biggest joys was seeing how kākā spread throughout Wellington. I still recall the shock and awe of my first kākā sighting in Ngaio, when a kākā banked in front of the dining room window, wings fully spread. It was so unexpected at the time. But now they are a common sight, with many breeding in nearby reserves.

We loved living in Ngaio, nestled into the bush of Heke Reserve, with a view across the valley and in the flight path of so many birds.

We planted many natives in our garden, including the rare white ngutukākā (named after the flowers which were said to resemble a kākā's beak). I felt we reached "peak-Wellington" when I spied a kākā feeding on it!

More joy came when we moved to Karori, only a few minutes from Zealandia. Although we lost the panoramic view, we inherited mature magnolia and kōwhai trees, which are beloved by the kākā and other natives.

The presence of kākā is with us 24 hours a day, from their late-night partying and contact calls to their morning hellos, the daytime fly-bys, and the evening cacophony when they descend into the kōwhai for their main meal. I wouldn't have it any other way.

I've not created a full-blown kākā artwork for some time (I do have rather a few already!), but recently released this fine-art photographic print on commission. It's one of my all-time favourite photos, taken many years ago. I love how it shows the radiating flame-coloured feathers around her face.

I hope you've enjoyed this sprinkling of kākā photos and personal history. Do you have kākā where you are?