Andrew Digby
@digs.bsky.social
Conservation biologist and former astrophysicist. Scientist for threatened birds with the #kakapo and #takahe programmes at the New Zealand Department of Conservation. Avatar: @blackmudpuppy.bsky.social
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
A great article from @peterkdearden.bsky.social on extinction, why #conservation matters, and the role of #genomics. #kakapo open.substack.com/pub/peterkde...
on Kākāpō
and extinction
open.substack.com
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
My favourite #kakapo nest from this year was Whetu's on Anchor: she was 2m off the ground, 2m down a hollow rata trunk, with an entrance so small we had to use a phone camera to see inside. It was the only nest we didn't get into. #kakapo2026 #conservation #parrots
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...
Sir David Attenborough has a soft spot for #kakapo. We named a kākāpō after him (Attenborough the bird is now ten years old, living on Te Kākahu) and he kindly narrated a short video for us about them, which you can see here: youtu.be/5eZVjQowNvw?.... #attenborough #conservation
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
Alison Ballance@ali-ballance.bsky.social · 3mo agoThe mystery of Rimu's inaccessible cliff-top nest on Te Kakahu / Chalky Island has been solved! All is revealed in ep. 16 of the Kākāpō Files podcast. @kakapo @birds @conservation @digs.bsky.social www.rnz.co.nz/podcast/wild...
Our team has finally managed to dig into #kakapo Rimu's cliff-top nest on Te Kākahu. We knew there was at least one chick inside, and that it had a high chance of falling to its death when it left. The cliff-side hole has been blocked and new entrance made. Pic: Daryl Eason #kakapo2026 #conservation
#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...
Kākāpō Files II 15 | Kākāpō Island Diary episode of Wild Sounds: Kākāpō Files II
Alison Ballance spends a week on Whenua Hou/Codfish Island, one of three kākāpō breeding islands. She follows rangers from DOC’s Kākāpō Recovery Programme as they go about their daily and nightly nest...
rnz.co.nz
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...
Kākāpō Cam: Rakiura the kākāpō – 2026 nest
YouTube video by Department of Conservation
youtube.com
#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...
Kākāpō Cam: Rakiura the kākāpō – 2026 nest
YouTube video by Department of Conservation
youtube.com
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...
Biggest Kākāpō Breeding Season episode of Kākāpō Files II
DOC’s Kākāpō Recovery Programme says that the 2026 kākāpō breeding season is officially the biggest on record, and that all chicks have now hatched. At least 256 eggs were laid in 80 nests, of which a...
rnz.co.nz
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
