New Zealand "Bird Of The Year" competition, and the winner is....

[LaManuka]

the endangered yellow-eyed penguin, also known locally as the hoiho!

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-50374092

It would appear that election campaigning was not without controversy and steps had to be taken to stamp out vote rigging and electoral fraud (why am I getting the distinct feeling that a certain Patagonian influence may have been involved!)

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/97793079/kereru-debate-sows-native-seeds-of-division-in-bird-of-the-year-competition

I absolutely love New Zealand. It's a beautiful place to visit and full of lovely people, and when events in the rest of the world can get downright depressing you can always rely on something fun and quirky to come out of The Shaky Isles

 

[Jen5200]

I love it! Trust NZ to have bird elections . I spent a month in NZ a couple of years ago and sincerely loved the birds there. My poor relatives laughed as I filled my camera full of tui, pukeko, takahe, and a million other photos of native birds. I even found the sun conure aviary at the Auckland zoo by sound alone lol. Fabulous place filled with lovely people. Thankfully I have family there, so when I go visit I can spend a good amount of time and get some good visiting and adventuring done.

 

[SailBoat]

I have always needed to remind myself that yellow-eyed penguin and a few other species are found in places that are not snow bound year around.

I did inquire comment from a known legal representative of Patagonians and received clarity: NO COMMENT!

 

[Flboy]

Some really nice articles! Sad to see you also have the same problems with roaming cats! I am somewhat of an outcast in my town because I am so vocal on the issues with strays! I make it known what I think of the trap/spay/release programs!

 

[HannahandSunny]

Awesome! Thanks for sharing

 

[LaManuka]

Yes NZ would have been quite the twitcher’s paradise, provided you could avoid being trampled by a moa or carried off by an enormous Haast’s eagle that is!

Unfortunately NZ’s indigenous birds have suffered greatly as a result of predation by humans, rats, cats, dogs, foxes, stoats etc etc, but I think they do more than most to try to preserve what’s left.