Pride of NZ: Bird lady surprised at nomination

Chrissy Jefferson says the reward of seeing birds recovering and getting back to nature is payment enough. Photo/George Novak

A self-confessed "crazy bird lady" from Oropi is the latest person to be nominated in this year's Pride of New Zealand awards.

Retired Tauranga woman Chrissy Jefferson has been selected for her work rehabilitating sick and injured birdlife in the Bay of Plenty at her home, which doubles as the Oropi Native Bird Care Charitable Trust.

"I'm flabbergasted. It's not something I've done for recognition," she said.

Ms Jefferson holds a Department of Conservation licence to rehabilitate native birds and has built, at her own expense, a purpose-built morepork house to replicate their natural conditions to facilitate recovery and release.

"It's all volunteer work. I've been doing it voluntarily for 50 years and haven't had a holiday in 28 years. You can't leave the birds."

Ms Jefferson pays for bird food and treatment out of her weekly pension. Sometimes she has enough donations from small booked visits or public talks to help, but mostly it's a labour of love.

Ms Jefferson grew up in the United Kingdom with a father who looked after sick and injured birds. She said it was this upbringing which likely led her on the path of helping rescue ailing birds in the Bay.

The reward of seeing birds recovering and getting back to nature was payment enough, she said.

If you can take that really sick bird and nurture it and rehabilitate it and get it back flying, you get what I call the warm fuzzies. That's what I do it for.

Chrissy Jefferson

A little blue penguin named Mobil One after the oil slick he became caught up in was released at Mount Maunganui main beach on Wednesday after spending two months at Ms Jefferson's sanctuary recovering.

Having retired four years ago Ms Jefferson, 69, said she had no plans of giving up on her birds but she would like to see a younger generation of bird carers come through.

"Most of us in bird rehabilitation are older. We appear to have skipped a generation so we need to get to the 8 and 9 year olds, and get them interested." Ms Jefferson has a band of volunteers and a dedicated husband to help keep things running.

"He's absolutely my rock," Ms Jefferson said of her husband Errol.

"You can't live with a crazy bird lady and not be."

Ms Jefferson said she did not mind if people referred to her as the crazy bird woman from the paper.

"I like to think I'm doing my bit for conservation and the environment and education," she said.

Excerpt from Chrissy Jefferson's nomination:

"Chrissy 'bird lady' Jefferson's dedication to New Zealand bird life is nothing short of amazing. She works tirelessly with her healing hands and loving heart to restore the well-being of injured or abandoned birds. Ms Jefferson has built separate enclosures to cater for different bird life plus a bird hospital which includes incubators to keep the numerous fledglings warm while she gives them hourly feeds throughout the day and night. When the cargo vessel Rena ran aground spilling tonnes of oil into our seas, Chrissy was there from the start assisting vets, cleaning, feeding and rehabilitating a variety of seabirds, nursing them back to health. She was called upon again with the recent Mobil oil spill. Much of the work would add up to tens of thousands of dollars over the years. She is generous to a fault."

- Nominator