Kaka pair do their bit to save species
Three new arrivals in one year would be enough for any parent, but Invercargill kaka Hannah and Casey welcomed four to their nest in little more than a week.
The first chicks hatched on Wednesday last week, followed by the third late on Thursday and the fourth hatched on Saturday.
The Department of Conservation estimates there are fewer than 5000 kaka nationwide, making it less common than kiwi.
Bush Haven operators Russell and May Evans were delighted with the four new chicks at their Otatara sanctuary.
It was 21 days from when Hannah laid the eggs to the first kaka hatching.
Casey and his brother Bling, who live in separate parts of Southland, both fathered triplets in January this year.
‘‘It is pretty vital to keep looking at them every day if you really want to save the whole lot,’’ Russell said.
Hannah would probably sit again this year, May said.
‘‘Last year she sat early like this and then she sat again and the sec- ond clutch came January.’’
Hannah only hatched one egg in her first clutch but the second time she hatched three from four eggs, May said.
All the birds around Bush Haven were breeding well, May said.
Russell thought they might have a problem in future as they were running out of old hollow
out
mid- logs for the birds to nest in.
The birds ate the log from the inside to give the cover over the new droppings that the chicks made in the nest, Russell said.
‘‘To get native, hollow trees to cut a hole into is going to become a problem.
‘‘I went down to the chip mill but they don’t do native timber.’’
They liked to have more than one log so they could choose, Russell said.
After the chicks grow the males will go to Orokonui Ecosanctuary near Dunedin and the females to project Janszoon in the Abel Tasman National Park.