Lmst

Behold, a feeding frenzy of Plum Sharks!

Plum sharks AKA kererū, the NZ wood pigeon.

Plums are in full fruit in Ōtautahi-Christchurch city, NZ, at the moment. I was on Valley Road today in Cashmere there were at least 11 kererū feasting in the plum trees up the side of the road.

I think plums are one of the big reasons that these birds venture down from the hills into the city at this time of year.

https://inaturalist.nz/observations/333255361

#birds #fruigivory #plums #Prunus #woodpigeon #pigeons #kererū #nz #Christchurch #nature #iNaturalist #iNaturalistNZ

A photo of two big NZ wood pigeon birds, kererū, in a plum tree filled with yellow plums. Kererū are big blue-green pigeons with white bellies and red beaks, eyes, and feet.

A photo of a kererū bird about to grab a yellow plum in a plum tree. Kererū are big blue-green pigeons with white bellies and red beaks, eyes, and feet.

A photo of a kererū bird in the middle of swallowing a yellow plum whole. Kererū are big blue-green pigeons with white bellies and red beaks, eyes, and feet. The plum only just fits in its wide mouth.

Tūī expressing some firm opinions about not wanting to share a kōwhai tree with a kererū 🙂

#nzbirdphotos #tuibird #kereru

Tui bird aggressively swooping on kereru perched on the branch of a kowhai tree the tui has claimed as its territory

Kereru waiting out a rainfall near Wainuiomata last week

#Kereru #NZbirds #NZbirdphotography

Kereru (large forest pigeon native to New Zealand) sitting among tree branches during rain. It has a white feathered body with iridescent green and brown plumage on the wings and neck, with a red beak and feet.

Mystery solved! Kererū poo! Kererū are the native pigeons of Aotearoa and one of the largest in the world. Given their size a food source for Māori. Under a large greengage tree at Beau Vista orchard has been continuous poo each morning. I thought possums but trap those and the possum trap on the tree was not activated. Then they arrived whilst I was working underneath. Three beautiful birds who had been hiding from me for weeks. Must roost in the tree at night. #kereru #orchard #NewZealand

The kōwhai trees are in fabulous full bloom across Ōtautahi-Christchurch city, NZ. They're blooming about a month late this year and are making up for that with a huge number of flowers.

That's making the korimako and kererū in the Cashmere hills happy. The korimako are pollinating the kōwhai flowers, which I guess also makes the kōwhai happy, to the extent that a kōwhai tree can be happy. The kererū, on the other hand, are eating the kowhai's flowers and young leaves.

korimako: https://inaturalist.nz/observations/315198237
kererū: https://inaturalist.nz/observations/315196715

#NZ #nature #Christchurch #Ōtautahi #birds #pollination #herbivory #Anthornis #Hemiphaga #kererū #korimako

Anyway, look how cute this #Kererü is:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OI3uA9J1nkA

New addition! 🌏 Kererū (Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae) #NewZealandBirds #AustralasianBirds | #Kererū #Kūkupa #NewZealandPigeon #WoodPigeon #HemiphagaNovaeseelandiae | #NewZealandPigeons #WoodPigeons #DoveFamily #Columbidae 📷: Photo by Manubird🦜 #MyBirdcards | #birdsoftheworld #birds

🌏 Kererū (Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae)

The Kererū, also known as Kūkupa, New Zealand Pigeon or Wood Pigeon is a large, plump bird with a small head. Its head, back, and wings are covered in iridescent green and bronze-purple feathers, contrasted by a bright white breast. Found throughout New Zealand, it lives in forests, parks, and gardens. Kererū are generally solitary or in pairs, but they can be seen in flocks when food is plentiful. They are slow, deliberate flyers, but their wings make a distinctive "whoosh" sound. 2.5 Flash (Edited)

Two subspecies are recognised.

Conservation status: Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)

📷: Photo by Manubird via Pixabay
https://pixabay.com/photos/pigeon-new-zealand-7712820/

KYPQ

Yesterday was the second day I saw a kereru flying at my school, ever. The first time was a few weeks ago.
I am so hopeful that the planting people are doing as well as the predator control, is supporting this change.

Here's to more sightings 🤩
#Birds #AoNZ #kereru

Here's a kererū (NZ wood pigeon) that I photographed last weekend. It was contentedly munching away on kōwhai leaves and didn't seem to mind me taking some photos. I love how the backlit sun makes its red eyes shine.

https://inaturalist.nz/observations/305164242

https://www.flickr.com/photos/mollivan_jon/54711217603/

#kererū #birds #photography #nz

Part of a photo of a kererū (NZ wood pigeon), a big blue-green bird with red beak and eyes. The bird is looking straight at the camera and the backlit sun makes the eyes shine.

This is a crop of a photo of the whole bird on my Flickr page at https://www.flickr.com/photos/mollivan_jon/54711217603/. The observation details and more photos are on iNaturalist at https://inaturalist.nz/observations/305164242

Here are two of the kererū (NZ wood pigeons) I photographed along my bike ride.

https://inaturalist.nz/observations/301162369

https://inaturalist.nz/observations/301162367

#birds #nz #ChirstchurchPortHills #kererū

A photo of a kererū (NZ wood pigeon) perched on a branch preening. It's a big blue-green wood pigeon.

A photo of a kererū (NZ wood pigeon) perched on a branch. It's a big blue-green pigeon with a white breast and red beak.

Three highlights from my day...

#1: kererū in the Christchurch Port Hills!

https://inaturalist.nz/observations/299791769
https://inaturalist.nz/observations/299791771
https://inaturalist.nz/observations/299791775
https://inaturalist.nz/observations/299791774
https://inaturalist.nz/observations/299791776

#birds #iNaturalist #nz #kererū

A photo of three kererū (NZ wood pigeons) perched in a dead tree with the snow capped Southern Alps mountains, out-of-focus, in the background.

Kererū are large blue-green wood pigeons with a white breast and red eyes.

My full-res photo is at https://inaturalist.nz/observations/299791769

A photo of one kererū (NZ wood pigeon) perched on a branch in a tree lucerne. Kererū are large blue-green wood pigeons with a white breast and red eyes.

My full-res photo is at https://inaturalist.nz/observations/299791775

A photo of three kererū (NZ wood pigeons) perched on branches in a tree lucerne. Kererū are large blue-green wood pigeons with a white breast and red eyes.

My full-res photo is at https://inaturalist.nz/observations/299791771

This afternoon I was up in the Port HIlls of Ōtautahi-Christchurch, NZ, doing my monthly biodiversity survey. The standout moment was coming eye-to-eye with a kererū, at head height, about an arm's length away. It must have seen me coming but I was looking at a patch of plants and didn't notice it until I was right next to it. Remarkably it didn't fly off. It just looked at me. I quickly photographed it then moved on.

Magic.

(It was probably eating a meal of the kowhai leaves, although I didn't overstay my welcome to find out.)

https://inaturalist.nz/observations/282593424

#birds #kererū #nz

A photo of a kererū, NZ wood pigeon, perched on a branch. It's a gorgeous big emerald green woodpigeon with a white breast and red eyes and beak.

See my iNaturalist observation for more details and higher resolution photos: https://inaturalist.nz/observations/282593424

Another photo of a kererū, NZ wood pigeon, perched on a branch. This time it's looking straight at me. It's a gorgeous big emerald green woodpigeon with a white breast and red eyes and beak.

See my iNaturalist observation for more details and higher resolution photos: https://inaturalist.nz/observations/282593424

@Mr_Xarii yay the #WoodPigeon (#Kereru )

Layering, slow and steady~~ Almost 3-4 hours of building I up very gently... Not sure if I'll photograph more in process, but if bridgy is working fine keep an eye out on @art.lucidillusions.in account for the final post ^_^ #Art #Kereru #WIP 🪶 🐡