It was a few years ago. We were curled on our living room couch in Arlington. Sir David Attenborough was crouched in the darkness on a small island off the coast of New Zealand. The night air was silent, but David was poised in anticipation. Then a slow, pulsing, baritone boom reverberated from a nearby hillside. We leaned forward and stopped chewing our popcorn.
In his signature style, David also bent toward the camera with trembling exhilaration and whispered hoarsely: "It's a kakapo."
The kakapo is a large nocturnal parrot, native to New Zealand. Like many NZ birds, the kakapo is flightless due to long habitation in a land void of native mammalian predators. With the arrival of humans, rats, stoats, and weasels, the kakapo population plummeted from thousands to dozens, and was thought to be extinct until a remaining handful was discovered.
Since then, the NZ Department of Conservation (DOC) has put forth a massive effort to save this icon, and--as you can imagine--Jeremy found a way to get involved. Kakapo conservation efforts are concentrated on a couple small islands--the main one called Codfish Island--off the southern edge of New Zealand. Codfish Island was meticulously purged of mammalian pests and now serves as home for over a hundred kakapo. DOC sponsors a program that allows selected volunteers from the public to live and work on the island while helping full-time rangers monitor the birds. Volunteers are particularly needed as "nest minders" during the busy breeding and rearing season. Jeremy learned of this opportunity shortly after our arrival to New Zealand when he began his conservation volunteer career. He signed up eagerly, but was unsure of his chances of being selected.
photo by Brendon
However, a few weeks ago, an unexpected opportunity came up, and Jeremy was on his way to Codfish Island. He spent a day laundering all his gear in a special Trigene solution to kill bird-threatening viruses, and then Uncle Neal (who was still visiting) and I dropped him off in Invercargill. Jeremy told us he was going to spend two weeks sleeping next to an assigned nest, being awakened at intervals to take notes on the bird's activities. Neal and I didn't think this sounded like any fun at all. We left him to his adventure and went off to do more touring.
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After we left, Jeremy joined his group and was flown by helicopter to the legendary Codfish Island, where he was assigned to the nest of Solstice, a mother kakapo who was sitting on three eggs. At dusk, he hiked alone, about three miles uphill to reach the nest location. His lodging for the evening included a tent fitted with live video feed from the nearby nest, along with a motion sensor and alarm to alert him of his bird's comings and goings.
Volunteers Arrive to Codfish Island
After getting situated in the tent, he lay awake listening to the deafening chorus of seabirds—mainly petrels flying overhead. When that noise lulled, he was excited to begin picking up a sound he had long anticipated—the bass boom of the male kakapo’s mating call. Resident males, Arab and Luke, were busy at their task around the island. Eventually, he drifted off to sleep amidst the resonating booms.
View from the Island
Suddenly, the motion sensor alarm woke him: Solstice had left the nest. Following standard procedure, he radioed the base ranger to let her know. Vacant nests provide rangers the opportunity to candle eggs to check their progress. Using a flashlight, they can make assessments on the development of the egg and even watch the moving embryo.
In the morning, Jeremy reviewed the last twenty-four hours of video footage at the nest, scanning and making notes on all Solstice's activities—leaving and returning to the nest, rolling eggs, and any other incidents. He then hiked back to the hut to compile notes and data.
Jeremy Reviews Video Data
photo by Helen Curran
Tacos for Twenty
eBird is a site that allows birders to track the birds they've seen around the world. A star member, James has observed almost 1000 different bird species. Adding to his eBird "Life List" has already proven very entertaining for Jeremy. His only complaint with eBird is its lack of social networking capabilities, meaning that he cannot use it to chat or connect with other birders. Perhaps this gap will soon be remedied.
James the Birder Aims Carefully
photo by Helen Curran
On Jeremy's last night on the island, he hiked to his tent and found a special treat. Checking the video monitor upon arrival, he noticed a tiny white ball of fluff in the nest and realized he had become the first person to see the first hatched kakapo chick of the season. His radioed birth announcement stirred joy in the camp.
