This is a Brown Teal on Great Barrier Island. Isn't it the cutest adult duck-like creature you've ever seen?
Here is the view from the top of Mount Hobson: 
Guess what this is: 
Answer: 
A better view from lower down (looking east, Little Barrier Island in the background) 
That is one adorable bird.
ReplyDeleteAre the traps in place because the cats go after the Teals?
I think so. Everywhere I've been in NZ (as far as wilderness or near-wilderness) I've seen traps for non-native mammals like rats, possums, and cats (not for sheep, cows, and llamas, though).
ReplyDeleteThe feral cats on Great Barrier are very destructive on the birdlife. If this one was on the walk to Mt Hirakimata (Hobson) it was protecting black petrel nests. We don't have possums or mustelids on the island.
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