On Sat, Sept 27th, I joined Becca and a couple of her friends on a trip to the farmers' market (which was lots of fun) and Willowbank Wildife Reserve. The reserve is set up kind of like a zoo, and you follow a trail around the different parts to see the animals. We started out with the eels, then wandered through, seeing all sorts of animals. There were some very interesting birds, including a black swan, a pukeko and a golden pheasant:
The pheasant was running around on its own, so it seemed to have escaped. It also looked like it was trying to get into one of the cages!
We saw plenty of non-native critters, including wallabies, peacocks, and ridiculously soft bunnies.
Of course I was excited to see some native birds! The kea had a lot of personality. They were friendly and a little cheeky--one kept going after the bows on someone's shoes! Then they appeared to have a meeting where they gathered and shouted at each other.
Finally, I got so see my first kiwi bird! We went into a nocturnal enclosure, and while our eyes adjusted, we listened carefully. I heard some rustling off the path to our left, and stared at the spot until I saw a fluffy little kiwi sifting through the leaves. A kiwi is about the size of a big chicken with shaggy brown feathers and a long beak. It was so neat to see!
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