I am on my way to check a Chatham Island tomtit nest on the south side of the island when I stumble across a big fat ball of fluff. He is huge – probably the chick of a broad-billed prion – and very stroppy when I stop to see if he is alright. His burrow has collapsed around him and he is sitting exposed to the elements. I’m not sure if he just got too big for the nest and brought the ceiling down himself but I brave his wrath and give him a new roof, just in case. I rebuild his burrow with a slab of wood and some sticks and finally he stops moaning and settles back to sleep.
Chick in need of a burrow:
Burrow all fixed:
The tomtit isn’t playing along either. Her nest has been found but we don’t know if she is incubating any eggs yet. I see her once and then nothing for the next hour. The male isn’t around either. In fact the forest is silent now that Grouchy the sooty chick has stopped grumbling and I have to leave empty-handed.
Male tomtit:
Male tomtit:
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