GANNETS AT WHITE ISLAND

Hokitika Guardian, 8 May 1929, Page 2

GANNETS AT WHITE ISLAND

One of the sights to be seen during a visit to White Island is the gun nub rookery, writes Air F. B. Heart, of Tauranga, who recently visited the island. There are four rookeries at Ihe island, and one never tires of watching the ’birds. They are very tamo, and no one over molests them. The old birds have a formidable grey beak, yellowish head, blue eyes, and white feathers except on the tail and part of the. wings. Their legs are black, and have a green streak down the front and along the’ toes as i| someone had used a paint brush on them. They have a very wide spread of wing, and are graceful dyers, gliders a.nd divers. They live solely on fish. The i-erv young birds are covered with a delicate white down, through which their grey feathers begin to show, i lie old birds feed their young, and know them fom hundreds of others. 'I lie young bird pokes and pecks at the mother’s ‘beak, and cries as if begging her to open it. The mother bird at length opens her throat, and the youngster thrusts its head down and feeds. • This process occurs three or four times. When fed, the. young bird throws its bead right back, drops its wings, which quiver with delight, and begins swaying its bead backward and forward, from side to side, all the time making a noise like a motor boat. One would think it was uttering a prayer of thanksgiving. This rocking motion goes on ’for from 15 to 20 minutes, sometimes much longer.