The Locals

A farm is always full of characters. Here are a few of ours.

Meet Pete and Peggy – the two kererū who call our garden home.

I nicknamed them after Simon's dad, Pete, and Pete’s sister, Peggy. It was Pete who named this place Kereru Farm, inspired by the abundance of kererū that have always called it home. Naming these two after them just seemed fitting.

A little while ago I picked up a camera and, before long, these two had become my favourite subjects.

The camera now lives on the kitchen bench, and everyone knows the drill. Bird in the garden. Camera signal. Hold the foxies... and off I go, camera in hand.

Most of the time I'm rewarded with empty branches, disappearing tail feathers or a patch of blue sky where the bird used to be. I'm certainly no wildlife photographer. But every now and then, everything lines up and I manage to capture a little magic.

Out of the flowering quince (Chaenomeles). I did wonder why I didn't get much flower on this gorgeous old bush last year... now I know - man, these guys eat, a lot. I love this motion shot, especially because they’re both in frame. Very rewarding.

Early Start - an early morning shoot for these two - caught them in an old Cherry tree as the sun was coming up.