Morepork in my Garden

Greetings All,
I was just looking at doing some more trimming on some of the branches from the trees around our garage. I had just leant the pole saw against a branch I wanted to cut and something flapped away from the branch. We are used to that here with plenty of quail and the odd pheasant plus other stuff but the bird landed on another branch. I took a closer look and it was a Morepork that just sat on his new branch looking at me. We have them around here and hear them at night from time to time. I also spotted one feeding on the moths on the outside of our windows one night but this is the first one I have seen here during daylight. I have been zoomed by a few up in the bush when they were feeding under the canopy. Good to see them still here.
Regards Grandpamac.

They are a real treat to see thats for sure.

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as long as ol Ruru doesnt start calling out "Grandpamac" ......they are neat to see around. we see lots of the wee German owls around at night out in countryside.Used to freak me out when flew across in front of ute while spotlighting untill I realised they werent moreporks.

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Morepork are pretty cool, this guy likes to visit now and then.

Greetings Again,
We have had some really shite weather here in HB this year. A normal year of rainfall has already been exceeded but there is stacks of grass for the cows. Today started cold and windy but has now calmed down, the sun is out and is warm on your back. The temperature peaked at 18 degrees and is still around 16 degrees now. No frosts are predicted for the next 10 days or so. It is easy to kid ourselves that we are close to spring but the realist in me says that there is plenty of winter to come and it is just the first of many false springs to come. Perhaps my little Ruru thought it was spring as well.
Regards Grandpamac.

Greetings Again,
We have had some really shite weather here in HB this year. A normal year of rainfall has already been exceeded but there is stacks of grass for the cows. Today started cold and windy but has now calmed down, the sun is out and is warm on your back. The temperature peaked at 18 degrees and is still around 16 degrees now. No frosts are predicted for the next 10 days or so. It is easy to kid ourselves that we are close to spring but the realist in me says that there is plenty of winter to come and it is just the first of many false springs to come. Perhaps my little Ruru thought it was spring as well.
Regards Grandpamac.

I haven't seen a Ruru for a long time, we have a few Little Owls (German Owl) down here

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Originally Posted by grandpamac

Greetings All,
I was just looking at doing some more trimming on some of the branches from the trees around our garage. I had just leant the pole saw against a branch I wanted to cut and something flapped away from the branch. We are used to that here with plenty of quail and the odd pheasant plus other stuff but the bird landed on another branch. I took a closer look and it was a Morepork that just sat on his new branch looking at me. We have them around here and hear them at night from time to time. I also spotted one feeding on the moths on the outside of our windows one night but this is the first one I have seen here during daylight. I have been zoomed by a few up in the bush when they were feeding under the canopy. Good to see them still here.
Regards Grandpamac.

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I live within New Plymouth city limits fairly high up - can hear up to four male and female calling at night around the suburbs below me

My best ruru encounter was cycling to work up Carrington road. It was just after dawn break and up at the bushline when a ruru flew across the road right in front of me at head height carrying a blackbird. It was going so slowly that I could have reached out and grabbed it.

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Walking up the back of Pukeaha (Mt Bruce) one flew past my head
Apparently the feathers on the leading edge of the wings are much softer or something so they make less noise when flying - I certainly heard the merest whisper if anything

They are regulars around here and I love going to sleep listening to them all singing out their territories in the bush outside

They are cool alright. I once got a helluva fright when one swooped over me as I was walking in pre-dawn for a day hunt. We spent a few minutes checking each other out while he sat quite happily on a branch three feet away. Eventually I left him to it and continued on my way.

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Originally Posted by Ned

My best ruru encounter was cycling to work up Carrington road. It was just after dawn break and up at the bushline when a ruru flew across the road right in front of me at head height carrying a blackbird. It was going so slowly that I could have reached out and grabbed it.

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they eat blackbirds!!!!! we better breed some more moreporks and release them around here..the blackbird numbers are unreal. right pain in arse up in the bush.

Cool birds that can make a lot of noise. Had them out the sounds where I grew up. Been spooked many times by these little things.
One used to sit on a post by a gate to the farm, going spotlighting it would jump up and down and screech its Mary little head off. Gave you such a fright.

We have a couple around the house, hear them most nights.
This guy decided to land on a hay feeder I was welding up at the time, just before it got dark.
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We've got a bit of a resident population around us, get them in the trees around the house quite often.

Fascinating little creatures, almost completely silent. Good video on it here https://boingboing.net/2016/11/22/wa...microphon.html

we have 3 around here , hear them at night regulary

For some its not a good omen to see them in the day time...

We’ve got quite a few in our neighbourhood on the edge of the Manukau. Never managed to get a photo, but I got a recording I used as the notification for a text message.

40+ years ago hunting on a cobbers place in Lee's Valley. We'd chased a roaring stag around at the very head of a spur but he eluded us as dark fell. So we were pretty hyped up.

The spur was very narrow but with just a narrow clear gap in the bush right on its apex. James was a big, tough musterer, scared of no man and only one woman as far as I know. As he lead down the spur I caught sight of something on a tree branch the very instant he went under it. Brrrreeeeeaaaaakkkkk went the Ruru. James left the ground, legs doing about 103 mph in mid-air. Farrkkk it was funny although it took several days before it was safe to smirk in his presence!

ok so I will ask.....male call is what??? and female call is what??? Im HOPEING that breeeeaaak just described is one and the moooreepoork is the other as that would make sence???

It's their alarm call, I've only ever heard it twice

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Originally Posted by Micky Duck

ok so I will ask.....male call is what??? and female call is what??? Im HOPEING that breeeeaaak just described is one and the moooreepoork is the other as that would make sence???

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very hard to describe the female call on here MD -the male is a clear more pork more pork -the female is a more raspy growly more pork more pork - google it -there are recordings available- but once heard not forgotten - distinctive difference

https://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/vide...-a-spectrogram

Used to see them as a kid in Galatea. Dad would take me out on the motorbike to check the cows at calving time and he would ride slowly up and down the race. The ruru would be waiting on the fence posts and swoop in front of the bike light to catch moths. They knew where to get an easy feed.

Believe it or not we have some in the protected bush belts by our house in Central Auckland. Been trapping possums and laying poison for rats for three years to keep them in check.

Years ago I used to walk into Mackintosh hut in the Kawekas a fair bit. At one point there is a section of wilding pines that overhung the track, made it very dark and gloomy.. almost spooky.
A Ruru would always be there and as you brushed past the branches it would drop out of it's perch and straff the track from behind you collecting insects that you had just disturbed.
The first time it did it I damn near shit meself.
Subsequent trips I used to look forward to catching up with me old mate and would give the branches a vigorous shake as I went through.

Few years ago we had a couple sitting in a cabbage tree overlooking our yard with the outside lights shining. There were heaps of puriri attracted by the lights and the moreporks were having a great feed. The boys aged around 12 went out and caught moths and held them up and the moreporks came down and took them out of their hands. Never seen it before or since, don't think I will ever forget the experience.

Greetings,
The robins and fantails can be pretty friendly as well. A lot of places in the Kawekas and Blowhard Bush if you sit down for a grandpa rest the Robins will turn up to see what you are doing, especially if you scratch your feet around a bit. There is a fantail here at home that often turns up to give me advice on something. unfortunately I don't speak fantail.
GPM.

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Originally Posted by Billbob

I haven't seen a Ruru for a long time, we have a few Little Owls (German Owl) down here

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If you are heading up through the Lewis sometime at darkoclock pull over at the bottom of the hill / hump that is north of the old MOW camp, or anywhere on the straight leading up to Boyle base. Heaps of Ruru along that warm hill above the road