Nora

Nora holds fond memories for the kakapo team.

She was one of the first birds to be caught on Stewart Island in 1980, and her capture marked a major turning point in the battle to save the species - for she was the third female found, and was the first nesting female to be observed on Stewart Island. Nora hatched three chicks on Rakiura, and fledged Adler and Zephyr in 1981. Both Nora and Zephyr now live on Codfish Island (Whenua Hou), and Zephyr has been one of the most productive breeders.

Nora is named after the North Wind and is the matriarch of the “wind dynasty” – her daughter Zephyr and grandson Sirocco continue the wind theme in their names. Nora survived the worst of the cat predation period on Rakiura/Stewart Island in the early 1980’s and was one of the initial founders on Whenua Hou in 1987. She spent a period on Maud Island to check out some new real estate during the rat eradication operation on Whenua Hou in 1998. Three years later she returned to settle back in her previous home range and nested the following year. Her own eggs were infertile, but she did a superb job of raising one each of Cyndy and Ruth’s chicks – Horton and DOC. Nora also fostered her granddaughter Hoki for a few weeks in 1992 until the rimu fruit failed and there wasn’t enough food. She has five grand-chicks.