I woke up when I heard a kiwi calling. Looking at my watch it was 0610 – an acceptable time to wake up when an adventure is in play – but still an hour before dawn. Roroa (Great Spotted Kiwi) can sound a bit unexpected the first few times you hear them. Similar to the early brrr call of the Ruru / Morepork although slightly higher pitched, but identification is far easier when you hear the male and female duet, as the shrill repetitive cry of the male clearly differentiates the Kiwi from Morepork. I seem to have become a bird geek and part of that has been training my subconscious to wake up to the calls of my favourite birds: the Kaka, Pukupuku / Little Brown and Great Spotted Kiwi, and the Whio. No training needed for Weka – you can’t sleep through their morning song.
I’d been dreaming about
