Kotuku sighted in Christchurch Estuary

The Kotuku, Egretta alba modesta, is the New Zealand native white heron, a bird that, in Maori culture, symbolises all things beautiful and rare. It only nests at Okarito Lagoon, in the southwest of the South Island of New Zealand, and is a cause of excitement when seen.

I could hardly believe my eyes, driving along Linwood Avenue this afternoon, when I saw one standing on the grass next to the canal. I'd deliberately taken that route, hoping to see spoonbill herons, but was rewarded by seeing this one. On the way back home I stopped in at the estuary again, and saw two kotuku, feeding out on the low tide flats. They were harder to capture with the camera, in that late light, so here's the one I saw earlier in the canal.

I've just seen in today's Press newspaper that seeing kotuku in the Estuary is indeed a sign that the estuary is recovering from all the pollution that was dumped in it after the quakes. I have to say that I've never seen a kotuku here before. Great excitement!!!

I've uploaded an image of the two kotuku in the Estuary - Estuary Yoga - hope you can view it.