Esplanade aviary proud of breeding success

BEN CURRAN/Manawatu Standard

BOX OF BIRDS: Peter Russell with Antipodean Island parakeets - father and two chicks.

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Brown teal ducks may be shy when humans approach, but put a male and female duck together in an enclosure and that all changes.

Victoria Esplanade aviary keeper Peter Russell said the pair hatched seven ducklings last week, meaning the ducks had now had 57 ducklings in three years since arriving at the aviary.

Mr Russell was relieved all seven chicks had survived Tuesday night's downpour.

Last year the ducks, who are an endangered species, had three clutches of chicks.

When the ducklings are old enough, they are sent to Christchurch to be checked out, before they are released into the wild, Mr Russell said.

The chicks were also removed because of the father duck's tendency to want to breed with any duck in sight.

Another feathered couple who made the most of their indoor time during the winter was the esplanade's pair of Antipodean Island parakeets, from near Antarctica.

The two tame birds, who in the wild nest in holes created by seabirds, hatched three chicks this spring. Two survive.

The parakeets were both bred in New Zealand and came to the esplanade four or five years ago, but their relationship did not initially take off.

"The first lot of eggs were infertile – [the male parakeet] wasn't interested," Mr Russell said. When the Manawatu Standard visited the esplanade, the parakeets were climbing all over Mr Russell, who has run the aviary since 1978.

"You can see what would happen to these types of birds if rats live on their island ...

"If rats got down there, that would be trouble."

Peter Russell, who also has an aviary at home, took over running the esplanade aviary from his father. The two have so far been the only aviary managers there. "It's not very often you get to do a hobby as a job."

- © Fairfax NZ News