That's right, I'm watching you.

I can now say that I'm on the Bond bandwagon. The Bondwagon. What an achievement of cinema Skyfall is! So good, I was drunk on the idea of it by the credits. It's one of those that you wish would never end. Though I have to say, I was kind of startled when I bought the ticket for the 11 am showing...16$NZ...now that's a pricey meat-a-ball.

If I ever wished I was a spy, brooding and kicking ass in a world of danger and sexy people all over the place, that day is today.

I'm all set food-wise for my island jaunt tomorrow. It's PB&J and granola bars for the next six days. All right!

Did some more exploring of Mt. Eden's slopes this afternoon, looking for those things with wings that I like so much. I watched Tui sing in the treetops and chase one another around, and I found a few more European introductions. This is one right here--Emberiza citrinella, the Yellowhammer. This is a male, given his bold yellow head and (invisible from this angle) cinnamon chest.

This species is found all across Eurasia, though it has become rather rare in parts of its natural range. The UK population has actually dropped by 50% in the last 40 years. It may in fact be much easier to spot in New Zealand than in its rightful home.

The intentional introduction of nonnative bird species and the subsequent consequences are no less tragic here in New Zealand than in any other part of the world. Some 40 species have established breeding populations, mostly to a destructively prolific degree; these species account for only about 30% of those that have been historically attempted as purposeful introductions.

The Yellowhammer was part of a multi-species introduction campaign carried out by the Nelson Acclimatisation Society between 1862 and 1870. The purpose of this project and others like it was mainly twofold: (1) European settlers felt a deep loss not seeing or hearing the birds of home; bringing them to the islands made them feel less removed from their birthplace, and (2) the native birds were turning out to be ineffective at controlling the insect pests that were running rampant in the rapidly expanding plots of farmland, because while they were insect eaters, they wouldn't forage in the large fields for lack of cover; so species known to be effective against pests were brought in.

Trouble was, as it usually was with sort of strategy, there were unforeseen problems. Namely, especially in the case of the Yellowhammer, the birds were just as partial to the seeds of the crops as they were to the insects, so they only added to the problem.

Today the Yellowhammer still favors farmland and open spaces, but is also found in urban areas. Strange that though it may be considered a prolific, unfavorable pest here, the population remains healthy while natural populations in Europe continue to decline.

So tomorrow I depart for Tiritiri Matangi in the morning; I return on Sunday, Dec 1st. Facilities are minimal to say the least, so I won't be on the internet again until next week--I will make up for it with dazzling photos of rare endemic birds (hopefully!).

*****

Since this is the longest post ever, I may as well add one other thing. I came across this fascinating tidbit while researching introductions in New Zealand:

"In the 1860s armyworm caterpillars reached such great numbers that trains sometimes came to a standstill, wheels spinning, because the tracks were made greasy by their crushed bodies. In one account from Rangit?kei, a train was brought to a halt by caterpillars rushing across the rails to reach a nearby field of oats. While the crew cleaned and sanded the rails, the stationary engine and carriages became covered, inside and out, with thousands of caterpillars."