Hello!

We are enormously grateful to a Southland hunter for alerting us to the possible presence of a South Island kōkako in an area of Rowallan Forest.  The report has generated a lot of media and public interest and we wanted to share it with you in case you haven't seen it.

A couple of local people have kindly offered to follow this report up but we wanted to keep you up to date.  The area of the sighting is managed for sustainable forestry harvest and people wanting to access the area can apply for a permit.  They would also have to be aware that the area is used by hunters, so keeping numbers low is for the best. 

You can help by continuing to look and listen for signs and sounds of an unusual bird while out in the native forests of South and Stewart Islands - ideally recording or photographing if you can, making a donation to support our search campaign, and encouraging others to do the same.

Thank you very much for your continued interest and support. 

Inger Perkins

Manager, South Island Kōkako Charitable Trust

New Year's Day was a great day for a hunter in Rowallan Forest in Southland.  He reported seeing a large grey bird with a longish tail flying over, gliding across a clearing and making a distinct sound like a high-pitched chime.  

Our expert and founding trustee, Rhys Buckingham, rated this report as 'probable', and important to follow up.  The report came just a few kilometers east of a report of two large grey birds hopping in a tree from September 2014.  Rhys is almost certain he heard a SI kōkako in a similar area to the 2014 report back in the 1990s.

Read the facebook post here.

Check our map of encounters here.

The facebook post about the Southland encounter was picked up by RNZ National with a 90 second interview on Nights with Emile Donovan and then a longer chat with Jesse Mulligan on Afternoons. 

The latter led to coverage in the NZ Herald, Otago Daily Times and others including an interview on Southland Breakfast Club with Simon Edwards early this morning. 

Find the main RNZ interview here, and the mini one here.

Or read about it in the ODT here including extracts of the interview.

[Photo credit: Tara Swan of NI kōkako with photo shopped wattles]

Signs but no evidence yet from Kahurangi and Abel Tasman National Parks

With support from Re:wild and Allbirds, volunteers carried out multiple follow up search expeditions between March and December last year focussing on the Heaphy Track and central Abel Tasman NP.  

Despite encouraging calls being heard, the evidence of this cryptic bird remains elusive.  We'll share reports in our next newsletter but in the meantime, reports of encounters are available on our excellent map and will be updated with the latest ones shortly.

View map of encounters here

Photos are key, recordings really helpful

Following the widespread interest in the likely sighting in Rowallan Forest on new year's day, a dozen or more new reports of possible encounters have been made to us including some from the Rowallan, Hauroko and Waitutu area. 

In a couple, with good descriptions and then a review of recordings and photos, we believe one was of a long-tailed cuckoo and another probably a juvenile bellbird - picture right.  They are a dull grey before gaining their adult colours.  At first sight, it's a grey bird with a long tail!  But looks - and sounds - can be deceptive. 

Ruling reports out is very useful so please give us as much information as you can to help us determine whether or not the bird you have seen or heard could be a SI kōkako. 

The encounter report form is on our website here.

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

We mentioned this report from December in our last newsletter and it has been shared with the Old Ghost Road community on their facebook page.

This report also referred to a large grey or blue-grey bird with a long tail and coasting or gliding.

See their facebook post here. 

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

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

There are few ways you could make a donation to help us maintain this important search effort, 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.  

We will be sharing information about a free online will writing service soon with an opportunity to include a charity or charities of your choice. 

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 

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