Birds make up the countryside and also they inhabit our urban areas. Birds cannot be escaped and they poop everywhere. A pigeon crapped on Peter’s head as he sat outside a cafe in Oxford in the UK. “That’s good luck actually” everyone said. “Actually felt like bad luck” thought Peter.
Birds are beautiful though. We were captivated visiting Whitianga when ten or so fantails fluttered around us. Everywhere communities are planting natives and restoring wetlands to encourage growth in bird numbers.
Birds are an important part of the circle of life. Being an island New Zealand has more unique bird species than any other country in the world. I was fortunate enough to visit the Orokonui Ecosanctuary just out of Dunedin this week. Far-sighted people manage 307 hectares of land so that native birds and lizards thrive and people, like my daughter and myself, can watch kaka feed and tuis play. We walked through kiwi habitats and were awestruck at the thought that had gone into making the area safe for the animals and interactive for the public.
Beth and I walked on many of the tracks and sat on many of the viewing benches to experience what had been achieved there. Birdsong and birds were everywhere. The feathery creatures were certainly not afraid of us.
Adding to the experience also was the coffee and cake at the Horopito Cafe in the Orokonui Visitor Centre.
