Lots Happening This Week

November 6, 2010

It’s been a busy week at The Sanctuary. First we released a whole aviary full of kereru (native wood pigeons) that had been brought in starving during the winter. They are now fat and healthy, and took to the air and the trees with gusto. We have several support feeders out to keep them well-fed while they re-establish their natural feeding behaviours. While some birds were leaving us, others were arriving. We received a new batch of rescued battery hens, who will be normalised and eventually placed in good permanent homes; 2 tiny adorable ducklings, who’ve captured our hearts; and 2 young orphaned herons. Herons often lay 2 eggs, and as they grow the larger one grabs more of the food. He gets stronger and stronger while the other gets weaker. When it’s time to leave the nest, the stronger one flies well, but the weaker one often falls to the ground. That’s what happened to these herons, discovered separately. Now we’ll take the place of the parents, feeding them and teaching them to hunt for their own food, so they can survive in the wild a few months from now. Never a dull moment!!