Māia Whānau visited the Marlborough Falcon Conservation Trust and came away with incredible knowledge about the kārearea — including the fact that one falcon’s lunchtime snack was a duck’s head!
Last week Māia Whānau headed to the Marlborough Falcon Conservation Trust on Brancott Road — a volunteer-run charitable trust dedicated to the conservation of the New Zealand falcon, the kārearea, which is currently listed as “At Risk.”
Lizzie welcomed the group and spoke about how the trust rescues and rehabilitates injured birds before releasing them locally, and how they also breed falcons to help protect the species — with only between 5,000 and 8,000 remaining in New Zealand. She explained the difference between a falcon and a Harrier hawk, and showed the group some preserved predator specimens.
A walk through the aviary followed, where students met birds at various stages of recovery. A particular favourite was Scout — a falcon who is thoroughly convinced she is human! The undoubted highlight, however, was meeting Fern and her human Diana. Seeing a falcon up close was extraordinary, and while Diana shared fascinating information about Fern, the bird was busy enjoying a snack — a duck’s head, no less!
Here’s what some of our students took away from the visit:
- “I learnt that a falcon can fly up to 180 km/h when it is in a stoop, which is a dive.”
- “I learnt that the falcon has three eyelids.”
- “I learnt that a falcon’s nest is on the ground and it is called a scrape.”
- “I found it interesting that a falcon has scales on its feet, not feathers — and a bump on their talons to help them land without hurting themselves.”
- “I found it interesting that a falcon can see eight times further than a human.”
- “I found it interesting that falcons eat other small birds and hide their food in bushes to eat later if they’re too full.”
- “I learnt that a falcon flaps its wings while a Harrier hawk glides.”
