Not exactly a plant – but some of the native fauna of NZ.
Recently a family of Wekas have been visiting the part of the forest that I now live in. The weka is a flightless, ground dwelling bird, quite rare to see since they are particularly prone to the introduced predators which now exist here. A cat or a dog or even a car on the road might shorten a weka’s life.They can be sometimes mistaken for kiwi. However, an important distinction is that they are not nocturnal, like the kiwi. They do, however, make similar noises.
They make noises, everything from cooing like a pigeon, to honking like a duck, to a forest piercing shriek which might be mistaken for a seagull and where the similarity to the kiwi is often made.
They are extremely friendly, like most native NZ birds, unafraid ( naievely) of humans, having lived for millions of years without predators. They are quite chicken like, hanging out here on occasion, but mostly they take a tour through foraging in the forest for insects and worms and grubs. Notice their very big feet and long two pronged ‘toes’ which are excellent for scraping.
They particularly like my compost pile, so at least I know I am doing something right there. They keep digging it up and I keep piling it back together ( my compost pile is really just that, a pile in the middle of the woods).
Similar Posts:
- Seasonal Greetings
- a delicious irony
- Cocoon Aeris Hanging Fireplace: An Old Flame
- Fluorescent Outdoor Lights by Bysteel
- Backyard orchard culture
