With more and more kākā spilling out of Zealandia and spending their ne’er-do-well days rioting in the neighboring suburbs, there are now nests outside the fence. So the council has set up some nestboxes to keep the new families safe, and in one, they’ve set up a live camera.

Today, the five chicks are only about a week old and growing fast. Right at this very moment Mum has her head tucked under her wing trying to sleep while her brood are all a-cluster of hypnic jerking. Other times they’re on their own, waiting to be fed; and later, while their Mum feeds them, they’re all voracious little fluff bundles. And day by day they get bigger, their feathers starting to show.

It’s all strangely fascinating and involving. We’re especially concerned about the one that’s a couple days growth behind the others; and so we’ve ended up with this on the computer for most evenings, checking in as we pass by.

If this kind of thing also floats your boat, you should check out the competition the Council is running: choose a name for Mum and guess when the first chick will leave the nest! The winner gets to accompany Matt-the-Ranger to the secret nestbox location to check up on the family in person. Entries close before Sunday 11th.

Meanwhile: will the littleist kākā prosper? Or will there need to be an intervention? And does this year belong to the kākā?