Tuis in the morning

I am usually up at 5:30am every week day. Throwing on clothes, as our dog also rises from underneath the covers of our bed, she and I go for a quick morning constitutional down our street. Where we live in Auckland, most mornings are very quiet, tranquil and beautiful and majority of trees are green all year long.

I hear Tuis almost every morning. Their loud, distinctive song is bit like a forlorn but sweet morning church bell. Sometimes I can spot one, usually alone, singing away in a tree or swooping to a better vantage point in another tree. Is he singing to me or just warning the neighbourhood a predator approaches? I have decided these morning calls are probably territorial as the lone Tui sings “...hey, this is my zone, and all of you better remember that...”.

So now I feel I must apologize to the Robins, Cardinals, Blue Jays and other Northern Illinois birds. Tuis and their unique New Zealand sound is my new favourite. I still miss the abundance of Illinois wild life, birds and animals but it is really great fun learning about native birds, wildlife, flora and fauna in the new place I call home. NZ really feels like home to me now; not sure I’d want to live anywhere else.

Click here to listen to a Tui or other NZ birds.

Click here for more information on Tuis.

Image courtesy of http://www.tiritirimatangi.org.nz/