Squatters!

Ruru in residence

My buddy was checking our kaka nest boxes. The first had five fine kaka nestlings and a very proud mother. The next box was a bit of a surprise. At the entrance sat a sleepy looking ruru or morepork, New Zealand's only surviving owl. This is one species which has done very well in recent times with new food sources such as mice. It is not endangered and makes its home in patches of bush. It nests in tree cavities and lays two or three eggs.

Kakas only.  Rurus need not apply

It flew away and upon checking inside no eggs were found. Now these nest boxes are specifically for kaka and not for ruru as there are plenty of natural places for them to nest. To prevent its return my buddy created a lattice work of twigs over the entrance to keep the intruder out. No such luck!  When she returned three days later only one twig remained probably due to the nosiness of kaka, the ruru once more came out and there was a perfect round ruru egg inside.

One twig left but enough room for a ruru to squeeze in

A perfect ruru egg found inside

Mrs Morepork, or Ruru is now firmly ensconced in her chosen home.

Defeated, she removed the last twig and reported her findings. Since then I have visited twice and now there are two eggs in the nest and a very determined mother presiding over them. As there are spare nest boxes for kaka the squatter has been permitted to stay and raise her family. So in a few weeks we will have the pleasure of watching baby owlets grow and develop, an exciting prospect for me as I am very fond of our little endemic owl.

Mrs Ruru popping out to see what's going on

And now there are two.

                       
                               Sneaking up on Mrs Ruru

I pine for the larger owl endemic to New Zealand, the Laughing Owl, that became extinct with the arrival of humans. They were still around when European settlers arrived, then rapidly declined and are now considered to be extinct. It had an unusual maniacal call which sounded like laughter. There was a North Island and a South Island variety but now alas they are gone for ever.

The now extinct whekau or laughing owl.

The whekau nested in rocky crevices on the ground.

A stuffed laughing owl. If only it was still around to laugh

The whekau was becoming ground dwelling as its ability to fly reduced .