Actually most of the species were RE-introduced. The island vegetation was
restored - mostly by volunteers! - and bird species that had been there were
brought back.
We did have a "discussion" about the Takahe, which at this time exist in the
wild only at high altitude on South Island. Apparently, there is fossil
evidence that they also existed on North Island, and at lower altitudes.
Given that Greg and Cheesecake and their young 'uns are running around in
the tea garden, pinching tourists' lunches, it is hard to think of them as
being truly wild. It is a whole lot more like a zoo without fences. Though
actually, lots of the truly wild birds in NZ - especially on Ulva Island -
are so unafraid of humans that they will sit right by you or approach you.
So bottom line is: your list, your rules. Plus what do ABA rules have to do
with non-ABA area lists?
Ellen Paul
Chevy Chase MD
BirdChat Guidelines:
http://www.ksu.edu/audubon/chatguidelines.htmlArchives:
http://listserv.arizona.edu/archives/birdchat.html
