Hello!

It's that "most wonderful time of the year" as the song goes and we can relate to that in two ways - make it the most wonderful time by confirming the South Island kōkako exists - we need a photo and surely we're getting close! - and by making the most of the season of giving and invite you to consider supporting the work of our trust with a donation, perhaps in lieu of a gift to someone. 

In this newsletter, we have news of the latest reports of encounters including an excellent one just this week from The Old Ghost Road, wonderful news about two of the world's most wanted lost species being found, a focus on and excitement from our search team on the Heaphy Track, and, looking back, historical records of encounters with South Island kōkako reported by Sir Robert Falla PhD and the colour plates in publications from the old Forest and Bird Protection Society of NZ Inc. as it was known then.  

One quick extra note I thought you'd enjoy.  We are spending some time attempting to untangle kākā and possible kōkā calls, the latter being an old name for the South Island kōkako or orange-wattled crow.  Some recordings of kākā have a bit of a tremulous start to the flute-like notes they can make, whereas a couple of recordings from the Heaphy Track have a more consistent sound.  In addition, the presumed kōkā calls have a different sonogram pattern.  Our expert, Rhys Buckingham, describes it simply: "kākā = parrot = bright cheerful calls; kōkā = mournful melancholic calls".  

More on that next time, but, for now, please keep looking and listening - and recording and photographing!  And beware, kākā can confuse things!

Our trust team would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your support and interest and wish you and yours a very happy and safe holiday season.  Perhaps one of you will get that photo and the $10,000 reward!!

Inger Perkins

Manager, South Island Kōkako Charitable Trust

In late November, an intrepid team set out along the Heaphy Track to spend some concerted time looking and listening for any sign of the South Island kōkako, maintaining trail cameras and recorders and generally following up some compelling reports from near Aorere Shelter to around and below Flanagan's Corner and the Lookout Point. 

Our expert, Rhys Buckingham, was part of the team and said he had some luck for a change, reporting a high degree of probability that he heard two South Island kōkako calling!

Find out more here including a recording of a kaka aiming to confuse with its flute-like notes. 

With over 30 new reports in the past few months, our tally of possible encounter reports since we launched our reward campaign in January 2017 has gone past 400. 

We review the best of those in our summary including one rated 'probable' from the Waiuta to Big River Track south of Reefton, several more from West Coast locations, one each from Mt Aspiring NP and the Milford Track, and a very interesting one from the Heaphy Track from ten years ago. 

Read all about the new reports here and see below for an exciting one from The Old Ghost Road.

Two of the top 25 most wanted lost species have been found in recent weeks!

First came news that Attenborough's Long-beaked Echidna had been found in Indonesia, having been missing since 1961.  Then, just a few days later, we heard that the presence and a likely healthy population of De Winton's Golden Mole had been confirmed in South Africa, lost to science since 1936.

The South Island kōkako is on that list of 25, created by Re:wild, and we're hoping against hope that ours will be the next lost species to be found. 

Find out more about these fabulous discoveries here.

"You must have seen a kōkako!"  Exciting report from The Old Ghost Road

As we were about to publish the newsletter, we received an exciting report of a possible encounter from The Old Ghost Road.  

"The flight pattern we saw was a few wing flaps then a coast to a tree nearby (didn't see it land). The bird appeared to be all the same colour. I would say it was a light blue-grey."

See our facebook post here. 

Kahurangi

We were saddened to read about the death of Kahurangi, the North Island kōkako that has been enchanting visitors to Pūkaha National Wildlife Centre at Mount Bruce for 18 years. 

Read the story from RNZ here.

Extinction modelling

In our last newsletter, we found a curious way to connect Tasmanian Tigers to our South Island kōkako.  We were hoping that extinction modelling could help us understand the situation for the kōkako.  Our Trustee, Dr Euan Kennedy, and Manager Inger Perkins were honoured to meet Professor Michael Bode, a conservation mathematician at Queensland University of Technology, for a virtual meeting recently. 

Dr Kennedy is one of New Zealand's foremost authorities on the tragic topic of extinction and we had a very helpful chat with Prof Bode.  He will take our data to his students next year and we will report back with their findings in a few months. 

Sir Robert Falla and other memories

We recently received a report of a sighting back in 1969 from Peter Tait.  Investigating that report led to a delightful story of the time Peter accompanied Dr Falla on Stewart Island. 

Sharing the Dr Falla story reminded us of a letter from Dr Falla written in 1970 when he was Chairman of the Nature Conservation Council.  He was responding to an enquiry about South Island kōkako and noted his experience from Stewart Island as well as reporting two encounters by others. 

Read our blog and Dr Falla's letter here.

The 24th plate in 'Forest-Inhabiting Birds'

Manager, Inger Perkins, reports on gifts including two old Forest and Bird Protection Society publications from around 1960.  Those also have a Dr Falla connection!

Both include a page of text and a beautiful colour plate for each of 24 species.  'Forest-Inhabiting Birds' includes the huia at plate 22, the text sadly noting that "it is now so rare that it is probably extinct". 

The South Island kōkako is depicted on plate 24, noting that it "is now confined to Stewart Island and parts of the forested mountainous districts of the South Island".

We hope they still are.

Read the blog here.  

It is a well known fact that making a donation brings joy! 

Add a splash of orange-wattled joy to your life!

This is the time of year for giving - apparently that applies to donations too with charitable giving higher in the weeks leading up to Christmas!  

That may be less likely with a cost of living crisis but it prompts us to ask for your help and we'd love your help now or perhaps when we get past this expensive time of year. 

There are few ways you could make a donation, via a credit card donation here, or find out about a bank payment donation here. 

How about making a donation in lieu of a gift for someone - perhaps the person who has everything and doesn't need more stuff!  Find out more here. 

Alternatively you could become a Friend of the Trust with an annual donation.  

However you can help, small or larger, once or regularly, all donations will help us continue to work hard to find the South Island kōkako so that it can be conserved appropriately. 

Thank you very much! 

Need more information? 

There's plenty on our website including all you need to know if you're heading out on a search and the latest news in our Search Blog 

Copyright © 2022 South Island Kōkako Charitable Trust

If you no longer wish to receive our news, unsubscribe here.