I didn't know what they were until I heard a couple flying over and calling their distinctive call early last week. That and their size caught my attention. Since then, I have seen them every day. Sometimes just a pair but more often a small flock. Difficult to count because they are so mobile, but I have counted 7 reliably and there may be as many as 10 or 15 in total. They seem to fly south in the morning and back north in the evening. They spend quite a bit of time in the trees at my place. I see them mostly in the morning and evening, but also at other times throughout the day. They particularly like the kauri and birch trees, and eating the walnuts that remain on the ground. Really beautiful birds!

They are so distinctive, it's hard to imagine they have been here all along and I have only just noticed them.

I understand they fly long distances. I wonder where they come from and go to.

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[–] BlueEther@no.lastname.nz 3 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (1 children)

How far south in the Waikato. There are good populations around Pirongia and on Maungatautari and in Pureora

[–] tangeli@piefed.social 2 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Between Putaruru and Tokoroa. I see many more Tui since the enclosure on Maungatautari, but these are the first Kākā.

[–] BlueEther@no.lastname.nz 2 points 5 days ago

Could be Maungatautari or Pureora, who knows.

When they released some of the first ones on Maungatautari they vanished, and turned up on Pirongia

[–] Dave@lemmy.nz 1 points 5 days ago

That's really cool! A few years back my Dad mentioned seeing kōkako fly over (in New Plymouth). Turns out there were some released up that way a couple of years prior to that.