@digs
Conservation biologist and former astrophysicist. Scientist for threatened birds with the #kakapo and #takahe programmes at the New Zealand Department of Conservation. 𦣠digs@sci.kiwi. Avatar: @blackmudpuppy.bsky.social
A KΔkΔpΕ chick being weighed in a bag. Credit: Andrew Digby
A KΔkΔpΕ chick being held during a health check. Credit: Andrew Digby
A health check for #kakapo chick Tiwhiri-A3 two nights ago. This is a genetically valuable (rank = gold) chick, so it gets more frequent health checks. Itβs doing well. #kakapo2026 #conservation #parrots
Wow Carl! I thought you werenβt in Aotearoa for that long, but your photos put many of us who live here to shame! Congrats on some beautiful shots.
Good question. We couldnβt have done most of our work if they werenβt so tolerant. Fostering eggs and chicks had likely doubled the population.
A graph of the weight of two kΔkΔpΕ chicks. Credit: Andrew Digby
Two fortnight old kΔkΔpΕ chicks in a nest. Credit: Andrew Digby
One of the main measures we use to assess the health of #kakapo chicks is their weight. Tiwhiri-A3 and Tiwhiri-A4 are well above the mean expected for their age, so mother Tiwhiri is doing a great job feeding two chicks. #kakapo2026 #conservation #parrots
You know that feeling when you're struggling to stay awake? #kakapo chicks Tiwhiri-A3 and Tiwhiri-A4 in Tiwhiri's nest on Pukenui/Anchor Island. Both around two weeks old, and doing well. #kakapo2026 #conservation #parrots
A female KΔkΔpΕ on a nest with a young chick. Credit: Andrew Digby
Eva at her nest tonight on a very wet Pukenui/Anchor Island. Her chick Evohe-A2 is doing ok and her foster egg underneath her is about to hatch. #kakapo #conservation #kakapo2026 #birds
Yellow bird with black face and red eye, all puffed out and slightly damp.
Let me start a belated thread of Aotearoa New Zealand silvan birds.
To lead things off, a New Zealand Bellbird photographed on Kapiti Island.
We agree, and are working closely with NgΔi Tahu on kΔkΔpΕ recovery.
When assessing #kakapo chicks we weigh them, check their respiration rate and hydration. We usually do this twice in the first four days (this chick is less than a day old), and then every 5-7 days. The frequency of checks depends on their genetic priority. #kakapo2026 #conservation #parrots
Female #kakapo are utterly focussed on their chicks. Stella came back to the nest while I was checking her very young chicks two nights ago. Apparently unconcerned by me being there, she jumped in and started brooding them in front of me. #conservation #parrots #birds #kakapo2026
Exciting times on Anchor Island as we check #kakapo nests for hatching. Weβre letting eggs hatch in nests to reduce management intensity. Last night I found these two newly-hatched chicks in Koniniβs nest, along with a fertile egg I carried back under a lunar eclipse. #kakapo2026 #conservation
A female kΔkΔpΕ looking out of a nest, with one small chick showing. Credit: Andrew Digby
Female #kakapo Kohengi on her nest with a newly-hatched chick and an egg (unseen). We removed the egg from underneath her and gave it to another female (Phoenix) who had infertile eggs. We're trying to ensure each female on Anchor Island has 1-2 fertile eggs to hatch. #kakapo2026 #conservation
Checking on 1 day old #kakapo chick Waa-A3-2026 in Waa's nest on Pukenui/Anchor Island. We check the chicks twice in the first 4 days, and then less frequently as they get older. #kakapo2026 #conservation #parrots
A small kΔkΔpΕ chick and a hatching egg in a nest. Credit: Andrew Digby
Checking on #kakapo Waa's nest on Anchor Island a couple of nights ago: a day-old chick (Waa-A3-2026), and an externally-pipped egg, which hatched a few hours' later. #conservation #parrots #birds
Did you know you can see highlights from our #kakapo nestcam: www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...? In the last 24 hours we've seen a chick hatch and a rare short-tailed bat flying - and walking - around the nest. Exciting to see things never seen before! #conservation #kakapo2026
If you're watching our live #kakapo webcam: an egg near to hatching (Vori-A1-2026) will be put into the next in the next 10 mins. Keep watching over the coming hours/days to hopefully see a chick hatch! #kakapo2026 #conservation #parrots www.youtube.com/live/BfGL7A2...
Two young kΔkΔpΕ chicks being held during a health check. Credit: Lydia Uddstrom.
The #kakapo chicks are coming thick and fast! We're now up to 10 hatched. Here are Tiwhiri-A1 and Tiwhiri-A2 receiving a health check at Yasmine's nest on Pukenui/Anchor Island. πΈ: Lydia Uddstrom #kakapo2026 #conservation #birds #parrots
Following the #kakapo breeding season and want more detail? Don't forget to check out the "KΔkΔpΕ Files" #podcast from Radio NZ with the wonderful Alison Ballance. #kakapo2026 #conservation #parrots #birds www.rnz.co.nz/podcast/kaka...
Yep, rest assured: this is just a quick visual summary for the hut. We have an extensive database with records for every observation we make.
A white board showing totals of the 2026 kΔkΔpΕ breeding season. Credit: Lydia Uddstrom
#kakapo breeding "fridge" update.
Good news: 9 chicks hatched, and 123 fertile eggs in total - including all three 4 year old females having fertile clutches!
Bad news: a few egg deaths in the last couple of days.
KΔkΔpΕ breeding seasons are a roller-coaster! #kakapo2026 πΈ: Lydia Uddstrom
A female kΔkΔpΕ on a nest with one egg. Credit: Andrew Digby
Female #kakapo Dusky on her nest on Te KΔkahu/Chalky Island. We've just spent a few days on the island ensuring all 10 nests have at least one fertile egg. This is part of our trial to assess how well they can raise chicks without our help. #kakapo2026 #conservation #birds #parrots
The second #kakapo chick of the #kakapo2026 breeding season hatched this morning: Hine Taumai-A1-2026 on Ako's nest on Te KΔkahu. We transferred the egg from Anchor two nights ago. This is Ako's first-ever chick, which is just a few hours old in this video. #conservation #birds #parrots
Four KΔkΔpΕ eggs in a transport box. Credit: Andrew Digby
On Te KΔkahu/Chalky Island, our low-intensity trial site for #kakapo. Here trying to ensure each female has fertile eggs before we return in about two months to see how many have turned into chicks! Last night swapped these 4 infertiles in Aumariaβs for one fertile egg from Anchor. #conservation
A kΔkΔpΕ chick in a nest with an egg. Credit: Deidre Vercoe
The first #kakapo chick for four years hatched two days ago (on Valentineβs Day for those who like to anthropomorphise!). Hereβs Tiwhiri-A1-2026 in Yasmineβs nest. πΈ: Deidre Vercoe. www.doc.govt.nz/news/media-r... #kakapo2026 #conservation #parrots #birds
SBS Seminar Series 2026. Professor Carl Bergstrom. Seminar 1: Information foraging in a social media world. 11am-12pm Seminar 2: Modern day oracles or bullshit machines: How to thrive in a ChatGPT world. 1 pm -2 pm Venue: 114-G14 Time: 11 am - 2 PM Thursday 19 February Light refreshments 12pm-1pm
Hi Auckland friends, I'll be in town and giving a couple of seminars this coming Thursday. Details below.
KΔkΔpΕ eggs in an incubator. Credit; Andrew Digby
We trying to have most #kakapo chicks hatch in nests on Pukenui, so don't have many eggs in the incubators. But there are ~4 which we're incubating and will put in nests just before they hatch. The Anchor chicks are due to start hatching soon - watch this space! #kakapo2026 #conservation
A table of KΔkΔpΕ breeding results for 2026. Credit: Andrew Digby
Quick #kakapo βfridgeβ update, as things are changing fast. May contain errors! #kakapo2026 #birds #parrots
Well spotted! How chicks would fledged from that nest is our biggest concern. If we do put chicks in we might have to build a ramp!
Yep, it took a while to work out: we expect them to be under ground, not above it! :-)
Probably infertile too, but a bit early to be sure.
