Get your kaka spyglasses on

KAKA WATCH: People are needed to help record kaka sightings on Sunday, July 25.

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Keep an eye out for kaka.

A kaka survey day on Sunday, July 25, aims to get a snapshot of the native parrot's presence on the mainland.

At the same time, kaka watchers on Great Barrier Island will also be counting, so an ornithology student can get an idea of numbers in both a kaka island stronghold and on the mainland in winter.

Help is needed with the survey, says KakawatchNZ co-ordinator Suzi Phillips, a former Kairpara Forest and Bird chairwoman.

It's hoped that as many kaka watchers as possible will be able to count kaka on the mainland – including the Auckland, Northland and north Waikato areas – for two hours morning and night, from just before dawn to just after dusk on their property or at a nearby reserve.

A full moon on July 25 means kaka are likely to be more active that evening. Survey times are around dawn and dusk – 6.30am to 8am and 5pm to 6.30pm – when kaka are most likely to be seen leaving and returning to overnight roosts, says Suzi.

"If you see them at times outside these on the survey day, please also record these. I'll need number of kaka seen, location, time you saw them, and behaviour, such as flying, calling, roosting, foraging, etc."

It would also help if kaka watchers can identify and report the tree species in which any kaka are roosting or foraging. More than 300 people are being sent the survey.

Visit www.kakawatchnz.org.

- © Fairfax NZ News