The Frank Alack Award Winner.

Forest and Bird, Volume 17, Issue 1, 1 February 1986, Page 29

The Frank Alack Award Winner.

(15 yrs)

Karen Johnston

(| ‘his composition, entitled ‘‘The Parson Bird’’, was awarded first prize in the Frank Alack Award competition. Siew alert, the tui sits, waiting patiently. His metallic green and purple plumage camouflages him from the rest of the garden. He is completely hidden from view, or would be, except that I can see his stark white throat feathers. A fantail passes merrily by, playing tag with his mate. Tui barely twitches, he knows the fantails, they're his friends. The sun penetrates through

the clouds for a moment, catching Tui’s iridescent emerald wings and tail and yet, Tui knows nothing of this. His beady black eyes are watching, and waiting. Gently, a faint zephyr whispers through the lacey white features about his neck. He twitches again, and turns his head slightly to take in all of his surroundings. Suddenly, he bursts into a song which sounds to me like the chiming of church bells, intercepted occasionally by the throaty coughs of the parson. As his song builds in strength, I see his throat pulsating with the energy he puts into the performance. Each lustrous note echoes around the garden, filling every corner with rich music. All the other creatures appear to hesitate, as if caught up in the

magic that surrounds them. When he has finished, I feel like giving him a standing ovation. But I don’t. Instead I sit silently, watching. Unexpectedly, he seems to catch sight of me watching him from the window. We stare at each other for what must be an eternity. Finally, it is he who breaks the spell. But he doesn’t fly away. Instead, he hops over to the kowhai tree, and, still wary, takes a drink of nectar. pt