Rare weka chicks visit Brooklyn Valley

July 8th, 2013
[by Linda Hannan]

I have the privilege of visiting wekas to my Brooklyn Valley property for the last four months.

A couple of weeks ago two chicks were seen with the two adults. There is now only one chick, but it is thriving, and the adults spend most their time nurturing it.

They visit us every day, and are fascinating to watch. We have lived here for 27 years and this is the first time in several years they have shown up, and actually nested nearby. Here are some images.

Comment by Pauline Samways:
[Posted 14 July 2013]

Great to see weka returning to our area. It would be interesting to know if Linda, and maybe others in the Brooklyn Valley, have predator traps on their property. I would also like to hear about other sightings in the greater Motueka area.

Answer by Linda Hannan:
[Posted 16 July 2013]

No Pauline, we don't have traps here. But Pest control do trap here annually for possums mainly, which seems to have done the trick. Pretty sure we have the odd stoat around. The male weka is pretty gutsy, and in fact kills small birds, and from what I can see protects the chick well. Think their eggs are the main target unfortunately.

Comment by Marion Adwin:
[Posted 24 July 2013]

Lovely to see this item! We are a little further up the West Bank (820) and have been having occasional visits from a weka, but have not yet seen chicks. We do however have possum and stoat/rat traps around the section (Te Manawa Ecovillage, about 60 hectares of regenerating native bush), and have caught many stoats and some rats over the last few years. We hope that we might see weka chicks before too long ... and that they will also stay out of our vege patches!

Story update by Linda Hannan:
[Posted 6 August 2013]

Here are a couple of recent shots of the wekas that have been living on the property for around 5 months. They visit less frequently now, as the chick is growing up and most likely is getting out and about. There's only one chick, one disappeared quite early on, could have been a number of reasons for that.

From what I've heard from a Westcoaster, once the chick is independent it will go off on it's merry way and the adults will stick around.

Pretty sure they will be nesting again soon, as the adults are mating (all the time!) and the male was clucking around with a beak full of twigs this morning. It's hugely entertaining to see their habits!

They can be a bit of a nuisance at times, the male will jump on a chair on our deck and watch us through the window. He's a bit of a stroppy, dominating character actually. The female is much more demure.

As far as garden destruction, well they don't seem to bother with the vege patch, but have made a mess of ground cover-type plants, which have been pecked up completely. Still, its great to have had the opportunity to watch these funny New Zealand birds.

Here are a couple of pics to go with it: the first shows (left to right) the chick, male and female; and the second shows the male weka and chick.

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