Andrew Digby

“The opposite of hope isn’t despair. It’s inaction”. Great stuff from @helenpilcher.bsky.social #conservation #kakapo www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

With highly-pathogenic avian influenza now in NZ, we're taking steps to protect #kakapo and #takahe by vaccinating against the disease, following a successful trial. We're aiming for ~90 kākāpō and 100 takahē in an initial phase to protect the most valuable birds/sites. #conservation #birds

theconversation.com/bird-flu-has...

A great article from @peterkdearden.bsky.social on extinction, why #conservation matters, and the role of #genomics. #kakapo open.substack.com/pub/peterkde...

The final #kakapo chick (Pearl-4B) from this year's cohort has fledged the nest (defined as roosting outside the nest for the first time). There are 91 chicks alive. They won't be counted towards the population until they're 150 days old. 📸 Petrus Hedman #conservation #kakapo2026 #parrots #birds

We've lost another #kakapo chick. Rata-A2, from Rata's nest on Te Kākahu/Chalky Island, has been euthanised with severe internal diseases. Huge thanks to Dunedin Wildlife Hospital for their care. There are now 92 chicks alive. 📸 Daryl Eason #kakapo2026 #conservation

New paper! 🐧 We sequenced 249 hoiho / yellow-eyed penguins across mainland Aotearoa New Zealand and the sub-Antarctic to understand their history and why a deadly chick disease is hitting the mainland population so hard. #Science #Conservation #Genomics #NZWildlife www.nature.com/articles/s41...

A true legend turns 100. We all owe Sir David for inspiring so many people to care about the natural world. And we’re particularly grateful for his support of the #kakapo and #takahe recovery programmes. You couldn’t meet a more enthusiastic - and humble - great man. #conservation #attenborough

Listen to the Kākāpō Files podcast to learn more about this year's record #kakapo breeding season, including the details of Rimu's cliff-top nest. #kakapo #kakapo2026 #conservation @ali-ballance.bsky.social

#kakapo chicks grow into their feet! Here's Zephyr-A1-2026 at 39 days old in Weheruatanga-o-te-Po's nest on Whenua Hou. It's one of the younger chicks from this year's cohort. 106 hatched, and 93 are still alive. #kakapo2026 #conservation #birds

The 92 living #kakapo chicks are from 29 to 73 days old. The oldest have had transmitters fitted and have fledged (roosted outside the nest during the day). They'll stay with their nest mother for several more months, then will leave once they're 6+ months old. #kakapo2026 #conservation #wildlife

This late into a #kakapo breeding season, long after the mating has finished, a few males will still be at their bowls. They'll be sporadically booming, but most often you'll hear their 'skraaks' as they scrap for territory before returning to their winter ranges. #kakapo2026 #conservation

Our new rapid-sexing method for #kakapo and #takahē has been transformative. We've been sexing kākāpō chicks in the field on the day they hatch, enabling more effective management. Big thanks to @dnature.bsky.social @dnaturediagnostics.bsky.social www.doc.govt.nz/news/media-r...

Bumped into an old friend on Whenua Hou the day before yesterday, while I was working on the webcam. #kakapo #kakapo2026 #conservation #wildlife

Kākāpō action this week is about the chicks - all 94 of them. I've just spent a week on Whenua Hou, recording with kākāpō rangers as they work day and night to ensure the chicks survive and thrive. #kakapo #birds #conservation @digs.bsky.social www.rnz.co.nz/podcast/wild...

Have you been watching the #kakapo webcam? After a few power issues it’s back online. I’ll be at the nest in about an hour from now, so tune in then if you’re free! www.youtube.com/live/K_j3aaE...

#kakapo Esperance with chick Elsie-A2-2026 on Whenua Hou. At a month old the chicks start to get coloured feathers and males will weigh around 1kg - not far off the mother's weight. But she's still less than halfway through raising them in the nest! #kakapo2026 #conservation #birds #wildlife

#kakapo breeding fridge update. With all eggs hatched, the only changes from now will be chicks dying 😕 (And maybe Rimu’s nest). #kakapo2026 #conservation #birds

The youngest #kakapo alive: Awarua-A3, 17 days old today. Despite appearances, she’s doing well. She won’t be leaving the nest until mid-June. It’s a long breeding season! #kakapo2026 #conservation #birds.

There are currently 94 #kakapo chicks alive, with 59 on Anchor, 22 on Whenua Hou, at least 10 on Te Kākahu and 3 in hospital. We lost a chick to a freak flooding of a nest earlier this week on Anchor. #kakapo2026 #conservation #birds

Last week we transferred 4 #kakapo chicks from Whenua Hou to Anchor Island; having moved 5 in March. With a better food supply on Anchor the mothers there can support two chicks per nest better than on Whenua Hou, where the rimu fruit has failed to ripen. 📸 Sarah Manktelow #kakapo2026 #conservation

This year's #kakapo breeding season has been the biggest on record: - 256 eggs (252 in 2019) - 148 fertile eggs (116 in 2019) - 105 eggs hatched (86 in 2019). It'll be 2+ months until we know how many chicks will fledge (73 in 2019). There are currently 95 alive. #conservation #kakapo2026 #birds

Two scraps of cotton wool. #kakapo chicks Pakiki-A3-2026 and Wendy-A1-2026 in Wendy's nest on Anchor Island. These are two of the youngest kākāpō chicks from this year. The oldest is about 6 weeks older and ~15 times heavier! #kakapo2026 #conservation #birds #wildlife

For those not following the #kakapo nest cam: a new chick (Heather-A3) has been added to Rakiura’s nest tonight. We’re testing whether she can cope with two (bigger) mouths to feed again. #kakapo2026 #conservation www.youtube.com/live/LDSWtyU...

You won't find many kākāpō Easter eggs in the latest episode of the, Kākāpō Files ... because they've all hatched! And by every measure, this is now officially the biggest breeding season on record. #kakapo #conservation #birds www.rnz.co.nz/podcast/kaka...

The youngest #kakapo chick on Pukenui/Anchor Island: Hanariki-A2, at 3 days old. It's a tiny 42g, but doing OK. Managed to keep it mostly dry on a very wet night. #kakapo2026 #conservation #birds

#kakapo chicks Ongaonga-A2 and A3 on Pukenui during a health check. These chicks are “chalk” priority, meaning that they only get checked a few times before fledging (~75 days). They’re doing well. #kakapo2026 #conservation #wildlife

Lots of ripe rimu fruit appearing on the trees on Pukenui/Anchor. This is the food driving the current biggest #kakapo breeding season on record: ripe fruit is the main diet of kākāpō chicks, and a record rimu crop is the reason why the chicks are growing well. #conservation #kakapo2026 #birds

#kakapo chick Hananui-A3 being weighed during a health check at Verity's nest on Pukenui/Anchor Island. We weigh chicks to assess health condition, and compare against the mean expected for its age. At 9 days old and 120g, this chick is tracking well. #kakapo2026 #conservation #birds

#kakapo chicks tire out easily! Aparima-A2 asleep on me during a health check. With adult feathers beginning to emerge and putting on up to ~20% of his body weight per day, he's got a lot going on! #kakapo2026 #conservation #birds #parrots

Amazing what difference 19 days can make in the life of a #kakapo chick. Last night we checked Konini's nest for the first time in 3 weeks and the chicks are growing fast. We're checking nests less often this year to reduce the intensity of our #conservation management. #kakapo2026

At ~3 weeks old, #kakapo chicks start to get a bit more mobile and move around the nest. As they get older, we check them less often - especially if their growth curve is good. #kakapo2026 #conservation #birds #wildlife

100 #kakapo chicks?! They won’t all survive and the season’s tally will end up quite a lot less than that, but that’s our current guess at how many have hatched so far. #kakapo #conservation #wildlife

#kakapo chick Gale-A3-2026 during a health check at Gale's nest on Pukenui/Anchor Island. A week old, it's growing fast, putting on about 25% of its body weight per day. Tracking chicks' weight is one of our key measures of health assessment. #kakapo2026 #conservation #birds

A first glimpse of #kakapo chick Whetu-A3, about a day old and unreachable in Whetu’s nest in a hollow rata tree. In the last week about 16 chicks have hatched on Pukenui and Whenua Hou. #kakapo2026 #conservation #wildlife #birds

Please share far & wide - the bestest, most heart warming thing you’ll see all day. Kakapo-Cam - watch one of the fattest, greenest, least able to fly, most endangered parrots in the world care for her young. Thnx @digs.bsky.social #kakapo #wildlife 🧪🧪 www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts...

Transferring 5 #kakapo chicks from Whenua Hou to Anchor this week means that some more two-chick nests were created. With a more reliable food supply, most chicks on Anchor are growing fast - like these in Hine Taumai’s nest. #kakapo2026 #conservation #parrots #birds

Earlier this week we transferred five #kakapo chicks from Whenua Hou to Anchor, where there’s a better natural food supply. We managed to move the chicks into their new nests during the day. #kakapo2026 #conservation #birds

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. It’s doing well. #kakapo2026 #conservation #parrots