The babe has fledged

Our baby kaka (North Island native parrot) has fledged! Here is a photo of him (or her) a few weeks ago just starting to grow some feathers. I went in to Zealandia early today as the forecast was for gale force winds. The nests I monitor are up among some unstable pine trees. The noise of the wind was already rowdy by the time I got to my first nest box and the trees around were see-sawing as they were buffeted. The track was closed to the public but the Duty Ops guy said I could go in as long as I was back before lunch when the winds were going to ramp up another notch or two. I climbed down to the first nest using a rope that has been placed there to help people down the steep slope. Tucked in down under the trees the weather seemed a little calmer. Nothing was happening at the nest box so I made my way to the next two and observed if any  kaka were showing signs of nesting. We are coming to the end of the season but some pairs will nest twice.
The last stop was at the nest where baby kaka has just fledged. I could hear him and his parents high in the trees above me giving alarm calls but did not sight them. I cleaned out the nest as it will not be used again this year, then made my way down to the valley floor where the winds cannot reach, though they still howled through the trees up above me.
I went and sat a while with T2, our male takahe. He and his partner Puffin have been incubating an egg. As they are both elderly it is very likely the egg will be infertile, but I was too polite to tell him that. He eyed me and pottered over in the hopes I might have food upon my person. 'Not today,' I told him 'Next week you might be lucky'.
I made my way out of the valley, marveling at the calmness by  the lake. Those 'in the know' were already walking up the main path, secure in the knowledge that on days like this Zealandia's valley floor is one of the most pleasant places in Wellington to be.