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The Great Kereru count; the NZ native wood pigeon
Topic Started: Sep 18 2015, 03:07 PM (497 Views)
Kahu
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The Great Kereru Count was set up to help us get a better understanding of kererū numbers and distribution across New Zealand. It is an annual citizen science project and the more people who participate, the better the understanding we will get of how kererū are doing. Over a number of years we will be able to build a picture of kererū numbers as well as behavior. This will help to develop information on how best to protect kererū and help us understand how we can all get involved to help kererū numbers grow.

Kererū are the gardeners of our skies and the guardians of our forest; they are the only bird left in New Zealand that are able to swallow and disperse the seeds from our largest native trees such as tawa, taraire, pūriri and matai. Kererū can live for 21+ years and are essential for native bush regeneration. Their disappearance would be a disaster for our native forests.

I'm taking part in the count ... I've now got three birds resident.

NZ Birds On Line
Edited by Kahu, Sep 18 2015, 03:12 PM.
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Dana
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WWS Hummingbird Guru & Wildlife photographer extrordinaire
Beauties !
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Kahu
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Sometimes called 'Flying Pigs' ... they are big, almost turkey sized birds. You rarely hear the Koo Koo-ing of pigeons but you certainly can hear the whoosh of their wings as they pass by.
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Delphi51
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Wow! Take good care of those workers.
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Trotsky
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Big City Boy
What lovely pigeons.

(What is their major threat? Pigeon Pie?)
Edited by Trotsky, Sep 19 2015, 12:34 AM.
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blizzard
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Turkey size pigeons! They do look far more majestic , just look at those puffed chests, than the domestic pigeons we have here - which are definitely not threatened and were an introduced species. Like starlings.
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Kahu
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Trotsky
Sep 19 2015, 12:32 AM
What lovely pigeons.

(What is their major threat? Pigeon Pie?)

They do look like they're in tuxedos ... rather like flying penguins in a way.
They were an important traditional food source but now as an indigenous species they are fully protected. Under the terms of the Treaty of Waitangi tribes are allowed to harvest them under special circumstances and for special occasions ... coloured feathers are woven into traditional feather cloaks.
Recently, one northern tribal elder got into trouble when on a trip down south when he attempted to smuggle three kereru under his coat while boarding a plane home. The southern tribe, Ngai Tahu weren't amused at all ... the northern tribe, Nga Puhi are much more traditional in their view.

Ngapuhi chairman Sonny Tau has admitted to being caught in possession of dead kereru and says he deeply regrets his mistake.
Mr Tau confirmed that he was questioned on Tuesday by a Department of Conservation officer about the kereru - also known as native wood pigeon - in his possession.
Source Link

Ngai Tahu says it has accepted an apology from Northland iwi leader Sonny Tau for allegedly poaching local wood pigeons.
Tau was charged with the killing and possession of protected Kereru in Invercargill after being caught trying to smuggle them up North.
Ngai Tahu's chairman Sir Mark Solomon told TV3's The Nation he had met with his Ngapuhi counterpart, and his iwi's message was clear – leave the birds alone.
Tau is due to appear in the Invercargill District Court over the matter next month.
Source Link

Sonny Tau kereru crime 'culturally acceptable' - Ngapuhi leader
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Dana
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I keep imagining them trying to keep their balance while sitting on the hydro lines the way our pigeons do. Look out below !!!
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Kahu
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Dana
Sep 19 2015, 06:09 PM
I keep imagining them trying to keep their balance while sitting on the hydro lines the way our pigeons do. Look out below !!!
We quite sometimes see them sitting on top of the street light standards along our street and the power lines too. I did say, these birds are almost size of turkeys about 800 - 900g.

Posted Image
The branch is rested, weighted
down by you and yours for a time as
much as my life is mine.

A measured settling in with immanent
gaze your eye angle reflects
my aspect mirrorlike - a mimic I see.
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Trotsky
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Big City Boy
What kind of numbers do the kereru usually register?
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Kahu
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I don't know exactly, I suppose it depends on the amount of suitable tree fruits or bush cover. I know in this area there always seemed to be more kereru resident in an area further down the street about 2 - 3 km away where the street was lined with puriri trees. I collected some of the fallen puriri berries and potted them up and successfully raised two seedlings which I planted in the backyard. One of the trees I planted got snapped off in a strong gale, the other was in a more sheltered position and has now grown to quite a height. In the pic attached, it's the lighter green canopy on the RHS above the garage roof. The greyish green canopy lower down is a feijoa (tastes like a pineapple-guava) and on the extreme upper RHS on the right of the Puriri is a Karaka which is also a preferred food for kereru. It's taken me quite a few years to attract the birds to my backyard (now a resident population of 3). I've been having a competition with my younger daughter who lives closer to the bush hillside in the valley and she gets the birds regularly to her backyard.
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FuzzyO
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Your garden is so lovely!
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Kahu
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FuzzyO
Sep 20 2015, 11:37 AM
Your garden is so lovely!
Thanks Fuzzy, I wish you could come and sit awhile!
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Trotsky
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Big City Boy
SInce it is called the GREAT KERERU COUNT, I assumed people were tabulating the number of birds in New Zealand?
Don't they generate actual NUMBERS of birds?
Edited by Trotsky, Sep 21 2015, 12:33 AM.
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Kahu
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Trotsky
Sep 21 2015, 12:33 AM
SInce it is called the GREAT KERERU COUNT, I assumed people were tabulating the number of birds in New Zealand?
Don't they generate actual NUMBERS of birds?
I think this is the first time it's being done using amateur observers.
No, I'm wrong in that ... 14,194 sighted in 2014, but apparently the numbers are declining in some areas.

Kereru Discovery site
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