Box of Birds

A Blue Penguin encountered at Bird Rescue. People find these on the beaches wounded and bring them to help them to heal.

These Blue Penguins get caught in fishing nets or roaming dogs get to them on beaches. They may get eaten by predators in the sea, there are quite a few. Most marine life can sense the killer Whale or Orca and stay well clear of them 

Dolphins are a predator in the sea but they mainly feed on fish.

This is a native bird.

A Gold Finch eating seeds of a shoe fly plant. There was more than one of these birds that year. The plant is supposed to repel flies.

I often see these birds eating seeds.

This little bird comes originally from Australia. 

This is Billy the White Cockatoo, at a garden centre. He is quite a star and he didn't talk that day, but is loved by everyone who sees him.

I believe it's possible that these birds can live a long time. They are highly intelligent birds.

Unfortunately in Australia where they come from they are considered a nuisance and are shot by farmers because they eat the crops produced.

A New Zealand endangered Bell bird, found in bird sanctuaries. 

This is from Tiritiri Matangi Island, an Island in Auckland's Hauraki Gulf. It feeds on sugar water daily with other birds. 

You can get there by Ferry from Central Auckland once a day. The Ferry leaves in the morning and stops by at Gulf Harbour before going to Tiritiri Island. You need to take your own lunch and you are there all day, you get free tea and coffee at the visitors centre. Before that you go on a trial and you can go with a guide to explain about the different birds and forest you see.

I also have taken a photo of a Black Bird. I realise that not every Black Bird in the world is the same but this is the only type of Black Bird in New Zealand as far as I know.

Then there is the little Blue Penguin which is a protected bird. They have a hard time surviving many things.

Lastly, the Gold Finch that also lives in Australia. I don't think birds have much trouble flying from Australia to New Zealand they ride a thermal air current and often come in on the equinox or trade winds in Spring or Autumn. It's 4 days by boat from Auckland, NZ to Sydney, Australia and 2 hours in the air, depending on the air current. Sydney is 2 hours behind New Zealand time.

This is a Black Backed Gull, a large sea gull in flight. 

These are scavengers, they eat and sea food or what ever people give them. They will eat just about anything at all. They just about live World wide.

This Bird is flying near Auckland's airport. The air controller wishes it went else where but Birds can fly where they like with or without permission they are discouraged by a sign telling people not to feed them anything so they will leave. 

It doesn't happen, the birds go into the rubbish bins to dig out food scraps and they win. I see they stay well clear of planes without being told to.

A Black bird at Cornwall Park, Auckland sunning himself.

Black Birds here, eat bugs in the garden and they also love eating fruit. My Mum used to bury her old banana skins in the ground and the Black Bird watched her and waited for her to leave and dug up the banana skin afterwards. They are a gardeners friend. Now I don't bother burying my food compost, the birds pick through it. 

Now the male Black Bird is Black, the Female Black Bird is Brown and the offspring is Brown with flecks. Both parents feed their young in the nest and they have blue eggs.

I think this Black Bird comes originally from England or Europe.

Some hens in Cornwall Park. These are Bantum hens, there is quite a lot in Cornwall Park. Cornwall Park is part farm, part park. There are Bantums, Sheep and Beef cattle on this large Park. The land and the park was given to the people of Auckland by Sir John Logan Campbell in the early 1900s.