More kaka means recovery in sight

It may have ultimately had an inglorious demise, but an injured kaka found in Brookfield is a positive indication of the steadily increasing numbers of kaka in the district.
The adult bird was found at the back of Don Adams' Millers Rd property backing on to Sydenham Gardens in Brookfield. Don says he had been hearing an unusual sound for about 10 days - but only in the wee small hours - and hadn't thought anything much about it.
However when, on Saturday, he heard the same sound after sun up, he found the kaka trapped among some dead branches. He managed to free the bird, which then raced away into a pipe.
He left it there in the hope that it would escape once he was out of the way.
When he returned, there was no sign of the bird, but later he again heard the same noises, and realised it was still around and probably unable to get away.
"I had a hell of a job getting it into a cage," he says.
Once he had it, he gave it some honey, apple and bird seed and took it to the other side of the park where his son and daughter-in-law, Andy and Lisa Adams, live.
A call to the Department of Conservation 24-hour hot line saw the bird collected by ranger Dave Wills.
While the kaka was too badly injured to survive and had to be put down, Dave believing it may have been hit by a car, he says it is one of a number of encouraging signs for the native parrot.
"One leg was broken at the shoulder and the other foot was broken - but it also spinal damage that meant it would not have been able to fly again so would not have had any quality of life," he says. However, he says that while in the past numbers of kaka have been very low, there are increasing numbers of sightings around the city and in semi rural areas.
"It's quite heartening that more and more people are noticing them increasingly coming into gardens to feed on fruit trees."
There has also been proof this summer that kaka are breeding on Mayor Island (Tuhua) as well as other areas where there is on-going pest control such as Little Barrier and Whirinaki Forest.
Dave says most of the birds that are seen locally are likely to be non-breeders, young males, that gather in loose groups.
The birds are known to fly considerable distances, heading south to feed on fruit as it ripens. One tagged bird from Little Barrier Island was found in Gisborne.
Because of their size, kaka are relatively easy to identify.
"There aren't too many parrots around of that size - it's good that people are taking notice of them, they are quite a cool bird and very distinctive looking."
Andy says there have been several times when Lisa has seen large birds around the parkland that, it appears now, are kaka.
Many local residents are currently opposing a Tauranga City Council proposal to withdraw funding for the maintenance of the parkland area which is owned by the estate of the late Frank Sydenham, with the possible result that it will be developed.
Andy says the fact that the area attracts birds such as kaka is another reason why it should be retained as open space.