I travelled to the West Coast on Wednesday morning on business. It's about a 3 1/4 hour drive from my place. I had a hunt lined up with a client/friend on Wednesday evening, but it was rained off. When it rains on the Coast, it RAINS. Then on Thursday morning, I had 4 hours to spare and the weather was beautiful. However, try as I might I could not locate the land-owner of my favourite hunting spot, he was nowhere to be found. So I drove home muttering to myself.
The only thing I shot, with my camera, was this Kea, a New Zealand high country parrot who wanted my lunch...

These are big cheeky birds with bright orange coloration under their wings. Cheered me up a bit, but only a bit, as my opportunities for big bore hunting are few and far between
I'm going to have to start looking for more local options or I'll go mad
Regards
Neil

Hi Neil,

Thanks for your post. ;?)

Hey ... as they tell me (and I always hate it ...) ... "That's why they call it HUNTING". Isn't that a terrible thing to hear?

"Finding" is what we want. And, it's alot more rare.

Good luck on finding somewhere to hunt. I see the most deer, at the range, off season. They run across the fields, and mock me. haha.

Gary

neil

how do those Kea's taste? or is there enough left after a bigbore shot?

Neil,

Very sorry to hear that your hunt turned to .... I was really looking forward to a glorious report to enjoy.

It's like that guy that responds to the question; "How's the fishing?", with; "The fishing's great but the catching isn't so good!"

Oh well, there's always the next trip! Or, next time....

Thanks for the condolences guys! I found out today that the land-owner was at a school concert held at the local school that morning! He is the most unlikely person to do that, but apparently one of the neighbours kids asked him to go and he did. I will be sure to contact him well in advance of my next trip
Dan, the Keas are a native species so are fully protected, which is just as well as they are great characters and get up to all sorts of antics. They are not that popular with skiers though as they will readily remove the rubber from car windscreen wipers and even from windscreens, while their owners are off skiing the slopes!
Regards
Neil

I had an Orange Winged Amazon Parrot (named Watson) for quite a few years. What a pain that bird was. haha. I swear it was posessed.

Took about two years before I could touch the goofy thing. Then, after that, it wanted to be held 24/7. Demanded attention. Sort of a Fatal Attraction sort of love....

I had the thing based in the office, in the sitting room, in the shop ... tried everything. Then, I tried for a year, to give the thing away. It kept being returned by grizzled gnomes with bloodshot eyes ...

I finally gave it and the cage to a group of college kids, told them it couldn't have salt, and a few paticulars. Then, drove away quickly ... with my liscence plates blacked out ...

Lovely creature ....



Gary

Doesn't it always seem that the best weather days are the ones where you're stuck inside working all day? It must be one of innumerable correlaries of Murpheys Law, that the rain must always start on weekends and holidays.

What is it with birds and rubber trim on cars? The ravens get into that kind of mischief at times around here too, they're just too curious for OUR own good sometimes.

I bought a "knee pad plate" some time back. To kneel upon while doing some masonary pointing up work. It has, of course, a spongy/rubbery surface about 12 by 18 inches.

One morning, I notice the thing looks like it's been shot by a shotgun, at an angle. Hundreds of puncture holes ... sort of like you'd stuck a "BIRD BEAK" into the thing for hours.

Gary

Either that, or the neighborhood cats have been using it as a razor strop for their claws.