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sidney
August 15th, 2009, 10:39 PM
Some wild goats making their home in the forestry land next to ours have started coming by to visit. They are considered a pest, especially because we have protected native bush area here that can be harmed by them. Fortunately for these goats, who were in our paddock directly across from the living room window, all I had to shoot them with was the camera. There was a family of three, this shot being the father and son playfully butting heads, taken from our open window. The week before we invited some hunters who did manage to bag three goats, obviously not this three.

This week we also started getting visits from some Eastern Rosellas who have started perching and warbling on the scaffolding that is outside the picture window of what will be our new living room. Until now we have only seen them near the bottom of our road, about a mile from our house. The Eastern Rosella is a very large parakeet (which at 30cm looks more like a parrot to me, but what do I know) that was introduced to New Zealand from Australia in the early 20th century and has since spread across most of North Island. Even though they are an introduced species and has apparently displaced one native bird in its niche, most do not consider it a pest. The native bird's decline is attributed to rat predation (also an introduced species), which the rosella's nesting habits is better able to resist. This picture was taken using a handheld camera, no tripod or anything to rest it on, with zoom and through the picture window on a day with a bit of drizzle, so isn't the clearest.

davidh
August 16th, 2009, 12:41 AM
At first I thought you were talking about forum visitors, I should clean my glasses.

I suppose we should not eat forum visitors, unless we have a hunting permit?:o

Judy G. Russell
August 16th, 2009, 08:52 PM
Nice shots, Sidney! Love the parakeet/parrot. Gorgeous colors on that bird.

Dodi Schultz
August 17th, 2009, 01:33 PM
Nice, Sidney! Thanks for the entertaining glimpses of NZ nature!

--Dodi

Mike
August 18th, 2009, 02:44 AM
Great pictures. The goats are especially entertaining.