Kaka sighting in Lynmore astonishes Rotorua resident

The kaka that was recently spotted in a tree on Moana Tce. Photo/Betty Shepherd

Keep an eye out this spring as kaka seem to be feeling the urge to fly out from the forests and into the city.

Lynmore's Betty Shepherd was surprised when she spotted one perched in a tree on Moana Tce last Saturday.

"I've lived in Lynmore for over 40 years and this is the first time I've seen one in the area.

"I saw one in the Okareka forest last year and I think it might be the same one," she said.

Department of Conservation technical adviser of ecology Rhys Burns suspects most of the nearby kaka are living in the Kaimai-Mamaku plateau.

"Kaka rely on unmodified forest where there are plenty of trees with holes to nest in.

"Every year or so at the end of winter one or two, usually younger birds, will fly down from the hills and into the lowlands where everything is beginning to flower," he said.

Mr Burns was surprised to hear one was spotted in the Rotorua suburb.

"It's still quite rare to see them in residential areas and this has been the first one spotted this year."

Mrs Shepherd, who often goes looking for native birds, said she wasn't the only one shocked to see the kaka.

"People were out walking their dogs while I was taking photos of it and they were astonished once they found out what it was."

Despite the rarity of seeing a kaka in the city, their numbers seem to be on the rise.

Mr Burns thinks recent 1080 aerial drops, which drop toxins in forests that kill pests such as rats, possums and mice, may be helping the kaka breed.

"They are still a conservation dependent species, but their numbers around the country have raised to the high hundreds."