Junior Along the Track

Forest and Bird, Issue 139, 1 February 1961, Page 18

Junior Along the Track

TE AWAMUTU.— time ago when I had the chickenpox my father brought in a small shining cuckoo that he had found on the tanker track dead. My big brother had seen one before in our orchard. At first we didn’t know what kind of bird it was until my big brother had got home from school and said that it was a shining cuckoo. One other time when our flax bush was in flower a tui came and got all the nectar out of the flowers, but some naughty minahs used to chase it away, but sometimes it came back and my big brother was lucky to get a photo of it.— S. J. Meddin vs (10 years). PUKEHINA.— One day while I was coming along the canal near our home with the mail, I noticed a wild duck swimming upstream. As I didn t think she had noticed me, I lay down behind some lupins which were in flower and stalked her for about 300 yards up the canal. Every now and then I could hear the noise of baby ducklings, and as I heard this noise I also noticed that mother duck s head was turned in the opposite direction. Then all of a sudden, the mother duck flew up and away. I listened and watched carefully and heard the ducklings again. I saw the duck’s mouth going up and down, too, so I then learned that I had been tricked and that the mother duck was playing the game of "baby ducklings” herself. I felt a bit ashamed of. myself after that and shall practise stalking until I am an expert. Even though I have my bad luck I did manage to stalk a banded dotterel on the beach. We also have a very tame fantail that comes into the kitchen nearly everv morning. Moreen WEite (13 years). NEW PLYMOUTH.— During the August holidays an outing was organised for all children who wished to come. They met at the Museum and after being sorted into groups, six to eight adult members of the Taranaki Branch showed them around. Over seventy were waiting before the doors opened at 9.45 a.m. About 100 more were there by 10 a.m. Country children .were shown over the Museum and parts of the city. Other groups went to the sea shore, local parks, and other places of interest. The groups, being arranged according to school classes,, enjoyed themselves. Sightseeing was continued in the afternoon with still more newcomers. I am sure the children appreciated the attention given to them, because a few of the adults showing them around had the satisfaction of several children coming back and saying “Thank you”. Many children interested were given membership forms. So we expect a lot of new members.— Paula Collins.

NEW PLYMOUTH.— our back door we have a beautiful kowhai tree which is a mass of flowers and about fourteen feet high. It is fascinating to watch the tuis swoop down and suck the nectar from the yellow bell-shaped flowers with its brush-like tongue. I think the tui is a very pretty bird, and it has many peculiar ways. While the tui is sitting on her eggs she sings. Not many birds do this. Our kowhai tree is about 12 years old. When my sister planted the tree it was about 1 ft. high and ever since it was about sft. high it has flowered every season. We have two near our

house. The other doesn’t seem to have so many flowers on from year to year. At present the ground beneath the kowhai tree looks like a yellow carpet with all the petals which have fallen on the ground. At school we have a kowhai tree, but the flowers on that one are all near the top of the tree. We are always very sorry when the tree has finished flowering and we miss the tui’s joyful noise.— Sheryl Smith. TAURANGA— would just like to write and tell you about a little pied stilt my friends and I found today. We were walking through the swamp on our farm when suddenly we saw a pied stilt feeding in- a puddle of water. Our curiosity scared the bird, which flew into the next swamp paddock. As we crept towards the bird it stood still until I was just a few feet away from it, when it sat down. It didn’t seem a bit frightened when I gently picked it up and took it to my friends. We then put it in a drain, where it ate lots of fish. After that we gave it some fish which we had caught. When it was time to go home we put it in a pool with lots of whitebait, and we left it looking none the worse for our visit. I think the pied stilt is a lovely little bird; It has a very sharp beak. — Billy Burchett, 11 years.