JowettTalk

As many of you are awere, we breed Endangered parrots for conservation... free..., in particular 2 species of kakariki
http://www.kakariki.net
100 yrs ago these where common as sparrows and thrushes, now 99% of NZers have never seen heard of them...yet in the rest of the world between Iceland and Peru there are more in capitivty and as pets than there are in capitivity and the wild in NZ.
We are on a 'mission' bring them back from near extinction, and this has to be done by awreness
The NZ Forest and Bird Society (very high profile and influence) have an annual "favourite bird" vote thing which the results in a lot of publicity.
We need votes..the 'common' species get heaps of votes easy
http://www.forestandbird.org.nz/poll

Kakariki are about 3/4 of the way down the page.
Your support will be greatly appreachated guys

Thanks
Keith A
(Steps)

My mother was a bird watching enthusiast, and I remember well the day it was announced that Takahe had been re-discovered down in Fiordland back in 1948. It was as exciting for us children as the end of butter rationing after the war!

New Zealand birds need all the help they can get. Some are not at all fearful of predators. I remember some little fellows that used to perch on our cups and hiking sticks when we were out in the bush near Arthurs Pass. I also remember that Keas (NZ Mountain Parrots) were very common in that area too, but when I returned in 1973, I saw only a few. Apparently sheep farmers had a thing about Keas taking young lambs -- later proved to be false, I believe.

We had some fabulous times bird watching up in Arthurs Pass. I still have my mother's Zeiss binoculars!

Good luck to your little Kakariki Keith. They probably need all the help they can get.

Mike A.

I remember some little fellows that used to perch on our cups and hiking sticks when we were out in the bush near Arthurs Pass.

Now that sounds just like what a kakariki would do...except back then could very well have been the orange crown.
Here is a better pic of the more common but endangered Red crown

I too, remember these lovely little birds when in Arthurs Pass many moons ago (about 1976 to be honest!). I also seem to recall the cheeky little chaps hopping around our lunch table outside on a beautiful summer day in Greymouth.
I have given them my vote.

OK guys last day to vote...running neck and neck with the pukeho...
Voting closes on October 13 at 5pm
That is NZ time, which is 25 hrs from this post

Please vote....for the Kakariki 3/4 of the way down the page
http://www.forestandbird.org.nz/poll

Done. Looks like you're ahead at the moment

Voted as requested,

You look as though you are cruising it

Ditto keith, but don't know whether I'm in the time frame. Hope I am.

Good luck,

Tony.

5 yrs to go...
The nation TV news did a feature, other than a VERY breif pic of a kakariki...and a very breif pic of the current results, it was all about voting for the more well know birds like fantail, tui, kakapo etc....very biased lol

But we have an advantage...kakariki are the only NZ native bird that is common from Iceland to peru as pets and commerically avalible ...
And there are several international kakariki comunities around the world ...The guy (Pabolic) who helps me out a lot at www.kakariki.net is in Spain, speaks many languages, and has campained very well in Europe and Sth America.
I have hit the US,Canada, Aussie.
So this yr we have a very big international vote where as all the others only have basically the NZ vote.

Funny how the kakariki is unheard of in NZ yet well known around the world...
So fingers crossed this far higher vote will do a lot for kakariki profile IN NZ, and promote far greater conservation of this endangered species.

We did ..voting closed an hr ago
I have a call today from one of the major TV stations if I could take a kakariki into the studio...had to turn it down...this is really how stupid the NZ Dept of Conservation is......I need a permit to put it into a cage and transport it. and that would take months