There is this bird that I had heard about when I was on my flight from L.A.X to Fiji. The reason I heard about it was because of the guy I was sitting next to had mentioned how if you camp in certain area that you have to be careful because there might be a nest of these birds around the campsite and if you let them they will literally tear your car apart. He had seen it happen before. I took it into consideration and I imagined what this bird looked like. It seemed like the kind of bird that would be quite strong, and would have a really sharp beak. Of course he didn't have any pictures so one could only be left to wonder.
Throughout the trip I kept my eye out but I ended up mostly staying in campgrounds where they only had ducks as your friendly bird neighbors. Then comes the Milford sound tour. Were about halfway through the drive hen the bus driver informs us that hes pulling over for this one spot that is particularly popular. He tells us that he is gonna give us about twenty minutes to take photos, stretch our legs and etc. He even tells us that if we have drinking bottles we can refill our water from the stream.
So we take a look around, were enjoying our time, the view is spectacular and of course we see this shape dashing around. Its quite large and has some interesting looking wings. Our driver is telling us that this bird is quite destructive and to take care. They aren't exactly friendly birds and yet they seem to love the attention. People are gathering around them and are snapping away so I take my camera and make my way to this creature. Apparently its a parrot and its only found in New Zealand. Its name is Kai. The bird is quite rare to see at this time of the year and apparently people come from all over to see this bird in action. The problem most people face is that this bird only likes the cold so when it starts to get in the warmer months the bird retreats up into the mountains.
Luckily for me though I brought the good camera and I was able to get close and get some good photos of this beautiful destructive creature. As we were all taking pictures we watched as they flew to the roof of one of the cars and started to literally tear the seals off of the windows. We were all amazed that they were making quick work to find their way into the vehicle in question. The driver then told us that sometimes they like to go under vehicles and tear up break lines, fuel lines, and the rubber off of your tires. He has even seen them tear apart objects that people have just put on the ground.
The saying came to mind, "Beautiful but deadly" as I watched them go to work. These Birds certainly fit that saying.
