Kereru in a Cabbage Tree

As predicted yesterday, it was a long hot day working in the garden. Today I've mainly been tidying the place up with a brushcutter - hot work in long sleeves, jeans, boots gloves and helmet with visor on a day in the high twenties.

Whilst I was on a break, I decided to nip inside and grab the camera to see what I could capture. Moments later two kereru swooped low over the house into the cabbage trees up by the gate. Whilst they were tag-teaming between the crowns I crept up to capture this one whilst he was chowing down on the berries.

They're amazing and curious birds kereru; both graceful and clumsy, shy but yet sometimes brazen. This time is a boon for them at our place. Nor only are plenty of native trees laden with fruit but our own ones are too - the plums are ripe, the apricots close and the apples not far off. These orchard fruits are a nice prize for them given half a chance, so much so that we have lost crops of cherries just a day before picking.

It's hard to be angry at them thanks to the display we're treated to each evening; we have a fly past around an hour before sunset as around a dozen or so make their way from further down the valley into the pine plantation behind our house.

Hopefully one night I can be quick enough on the focus to catch the squadron as they call it quits for the night...