KAPITI SANCTUARY

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 30, 5 February 1927, Page 15

KAPITI SANCTUARY

TAMENESS OF WILD

* , BIRDS

INTIMACY WITH NATURE

PICTURES .OF. THE BIRDS AT

HOME

(By Johannes C. Andersen.)

I have returned from three weeks on Kapiti,, impressed, not only with 'the growing beauty of the island, but with the number and tamenesa of the birds. Both of these I could see and enjoy as I.wandered alone up the rough ferny vafleys, vocal with the many-voiced waters of tumbling stream and water.fall, and with the birds, but it was when I walked about with the caretaker (Mr. "Wilkinson)' and his family that I became really acquainted with the birds in their domestic habits. These friends have, keen eyes for the birds, and not a day passed but they discovered one or more nests, and the narrow strip on either side of their house, to say nothing of the rest of the^bush,: seemed teeming with nests, some with eggs, some with young, some already empty. They are also enthusiastic photographerß, not only of the birds, but of. the flowers and trees as well, and it gave me great pleasure, not only to see the photographs, but'to see them taken.' ■ No elaboratfe precautions seem to be necessary. They found a nest;-disturb-ed the birds very little whilst they were still laying or'sitting, but when the youngiwere out-they-took their photographs, and the birds seemed altogether regardless of their, presence. We; were at one torn-tit's* nest, and both parent .birds were busily fetching food for the young ones; we sat by the nest watching; saw how quickly the food was captured, how it was brought by the bird in little flights, from branch to branch, until near the nest, then in with a dart - ■ ';r "- : •»■

and out again almost instantly. Once the hen: sang a delightful little song, • almost inaudible, just before taking in the food;, once the cock brought .a laec- * wing, or some insect with big protruding wings, and I, thought he surely would have to prepare it for the young. Not a bit of it; he was in and out again- so, quickly that, he could have done nothing but pop it in the hole. CONFIDENCE OF THE FANTAIL. It was wished to see the e£gs on one particularly confident f autail 'a nest. He allowed himself to bo stroked, to bo poked,-but sat close;.and it took a deal „. of persuasion to "induce him to let the '■L'Sgf, seen, when.hoy.'settled down , .igain quite contentedly. ■ "■His photograph was secured; a very natural'likeness. Once at 'a torn-tit's! nest the :■' bird lit on the., shoulder of the photo,grapher, on his head—but not on anyone" else then, or a picture might have been gdt of that, too. Bellbirds are "shyer birds, but oven they permit a quite close approach, eveii before sitting.. One had a nest quite ■ near my tent,, and when I once went to see her she simply slipped off her nest when I movedthe kawakawa leaves', before her, and sat on the other side of it, scolding me, resuming her place on my going away. So all the birds; they seem very soon to know that the visits result in nothing disastrous,'and they are tame accordingly, sitting with their bright eyes on you, and who knows 'what: thoughts or feelings within? • The blue herons were, particularly shy; they had young, and ,when wo clambered up a steep rock to see them on the nest deep in a cleft, only'a •few feet above the surface of the sea, the old birds flew off, and the young ones, partly fledged, scuttled out of the , nest and hid in crannies, where we saw them just before they disappeared. Of other seabirds, however, close-up photographs could be got; beautiful red-bill-ed gulls, and terns, and the bigger ' black-backed, gulls, with their eggs and young. I was particularly pleased to stroke a black-backed gull nestling.' There were two, but on,e slipped away and hid in some low-growing taupata; ■ the other, however, cuddled down, and my. stroking did not interrupt its ■ dreamy Hap. •

THE BEAUTISOT. WILD PIGEON

AT HOME.

One. day a wild pigeon's nest was discovered close by the house. A ladder was brought, as'it was-fifteen feet up in:.a : slender inatipo v and a piece of scantling was rested in the fork of the tree. The bird sat unconcernedly whilst this was going on quietly;- but when she was approached too closely she just flew'off; without fuss, and apparently without resentment, .as.if she had intended going, anyhow—which! perhaps

she had, as the' young bird (they lay but one egg) was lying in the nest fast asleep, and evidently fully fedi He ■was like,a sleepy child, very difficult to waken; very difficult indeed; but we managed, to get him to hold up his head and open his eyes, when a good photograph was taken of him. Ho at once drooped,his head again and fell sound asleep. A few.small branches were reinov^d to admit more light, and to get a freer view of the nest, and next day ivhen we came the mother was again on the nest, and was quite unperturbed when we went up the ladder. Sometimes if we came, too close she would lift her wing and utter a warning "Coo! Coo!" but that was all. An excellent photograph was taken, and when the camera snapped she did not jump as much as I did,, and I was; standing below. A small branch still threw a shadow on her, and "I wonder if she will let me move this one," said Mr. Wilkinson, who was taking the

picture; she did let him; and let him remove another, and yet another, until ho had got sis pictures, including the one here reproduced. It was hoped there might bo at least one good one among them —they . were all good. Photos, aro developed on tho island the night following the day they are taken; then it is known if it is necessary to take them again; and during the nesting season time is an object. Next day we went to get a picture of her feeding her young one; but it had evidently

been fed, and though we waited a couple of hours or more there was no feeding; and as it was my, day. for leaving I do not know if this picture was. finally secured.;

BIRDS PAYING MORNING CALLS.

Not only are the birds tame'thus in the open; .they are encouraged about the .house, too. "They 'do not need much encouragement either; a shallow dish .of sweetened water outside the window, or on the verandah, or on a stone by the path, and the tui and bellbird are certain to pay a visit. . I have sat on the verandah, and both have come and sipped the water, quite fearlessly. You may be sitting only about .1 couple of feet away; it makes no difference. Not until I had seen ■ the tui

io close in the sunshine did I realise

iibw beautiful he is, with his brown , iinek, his greeny-blue wings and side rc;ithers,; the lovely silver hackles of his neck, the snowy, tufts under:his throat, is light brown underside—without •'.mbt he is a beauty. I have spoken •-• iten enough of his-song, >and its iniiito variety; his mimicking; his' gob- • n noises. This time I was becoming cttor.acquainted with his .personality; • iis- attitudes;. his movements. Some-

limes he would como and sit near the dish gracefully, the picture of. ease and alertness; sometimes he would bend ■over the .dish as if exhausted from a desert sojourn; sometimes he would come with a hop, step, and a jump as if he were prepared to sing a comic song after the sugar .and water. He is a never-ending source of pleasure. .One came one evening and took a long drink, then flew- out over the sea, then back, and, up, and up, soaring like a skylark and going ; higher' than any skylark,' for after a time he was just, about out of sight; then down a little, and he soared and fluttered to.the highridge 'of.bushy hill, then ■ dropped into the shadowy trees. He must have been up for. over a minute. That is a'short time, though. He seems fond of long' flights. Mr. Wilkinson watched a flock of them one day of.strpng southerly flying, against the wind towards the mainland. They .ne.w.till' -out ;of' sight .except s with. the ■ glasses, and must have been well on the; way.'across^ when they turned, andback again to the island, landing about a mile north of their starting point. Many photos, of the tui at the dish have been obtained; not so many of the bellbird. This bird {is not perhaps shyer, but .it is much quicker in its movements (though the tui can be quick enough when he pleases).' Mrs. "Wilkinson took one of the bellbird at the fiftieth of a second,- and all that was in the picture was his feot;- he had j got the rest out of it after hearing the click releasing the shutter. I have seen 1 tuis sitting there, disregarding the clicking; -. . . ■ '■•■'. SOME BIRD ENEMIES. I It was-remarkable to see the varia- j -tioii in the eggs of the whitehead, the commonest bird on the island, and the cheeriest. In one nest they were pure white; in'another white with black spots; in a third a lovely pink with light' brown freckles. One nest was to be photographed, but when it was visited in the morning the mother bird was found on the eggs, dead and half eaten, though the nest was four to five feet from the ground in a slender coprosma.- Close by,, a day earlier, a robin's nest was visited. There had been young—there was now a dead half-eaten young one. These are some of the tragedies that ai;e met with, and they give a good deal of pain. Thero are'two great enemies to the birds on Kapiti: one the imported grey rat, the other, the indigenous long-tailed, cuckoo. The latter was constantly heard screaming, day arid night;" the ■ former t/as often seen, day and' night. The longtailed cuckoo will probably do no great harm, as it has always been 'bore; the rat, well, it would, be a good thing if it could be exterminated. A pipit's nest suffered too; there were three young one day, next day one dead one outside the nest, the. others were gone. Many young birds were seen, however, fledged and away. One day Mrs. Wilkinson found a redpoll's nest, with , five big open-eyed young ones, five birds; she went next day with her camera, but—whirr!—out they all flew, vigorous, and. capable, and would have ho more of the nest. Close by she was sure there was a blight-bird's 'nest, .though search had,failed to reveal it; but after the flight'of the redpolls she found it nearby, and—whirr!—out flew three fully-fledged young blight-birds; and these, too, refused to return. All ■ were well able to look after themselves, and the parents remained in the neighbourhood in case of need.

MOREPORK TRAPPED BY HOOK-GRASS.

A' curious sight was seen up a spur one day: a morepork caught fast in a growth of hook-grass (Uncinia), called by the Maori fish-hook-of-Maui. You feel it if your baro arm gets caught; every hair is seized, and it gives many twinges to get free. The morepork had failed- to get. free, and his big yellow eyes looked defiance at the visitors, who purposed to be his rescuers. A cap was dropped over him so that his powerful claws might be kept out of the way, and. he was clipped free of the troublesome grass-heads, and oil being released he flew silently up into a tree. He never could have got free without assistance. Another day a foot was caught sight of inside a dark hollow under a tree. Investigation showed it was a corn penguin who had retired to moult. It was loft in it 3 gloom. A short while ago Mr. Wilkinson was sent to the Hen Island to secure a number of saddle-backs for the island,

there being no such birds on the island

Ho brought back and liberated six, and I had the pleasure on this visit of hearing and seeing the saddleback for tho first time. One day wo saw and heard three, so it is probable that they are now established.

KAPITI IMPROVING AS A

SANCTUARY.

It is hard to say if there are more birds on Kapiti now than thero were when I went there iirst several years ago; but more cover for them is growing. Now that tho goats are gone and