October 7, 2023 – Tui (Day 10)
Today we took a break. Stormy weather and rain were predicted, so we relaxed and enjoyed our morning which was sunny and warm. By 3pm it was windy and raining so we caught up on correspondence and did research for future adventures. I looked up information on the plants and birds we have encountered and found information on the raucous, bold bird we heard and saw on our first walk on the Waitangi Track. It is the Tui bird, a native bird that has actually thrived with the coming of the colonists. And it is truly bold! Yesterday at the Pompallier Mission, we toured the garden and hiked to the top of the trail where a Tui bird was observing us, jumping from branch to branch to keep an eye on us. I tried to video it or get pictures, but it stayed just far enough away! And it wasn’t singing so I couldn’t even tape the beautiful eclectic song. So here’s what I found online.
It is larger than a robin and it looks almost all black except for the very distinct throat tufts that look like cotton balls stuck to it’s throat!
When it sings, and we have observed it singing, it really puts all its energy into it, fluffing up and belting out the loud whistles, croaks and clatter!
More about the bird and a short clip of it’s song can be seen (and heard) if you click HERE.
October 27th, 2023 at 5:58 pm
That throat cottonball is…unexpected!