Bush Haven

05/10/2026

A success story! Kererū Keith is home 🌿

We're thrilled to share that Keith the kererū was released yesterday late afternoon, back to the very property he was rescued from as a young chick after losing his nest. He was born there, his parents still live there, and best of all they were actually present for the release (kererū can range a fair distance through their day and over the year, so that was a real treat!). And it all happened in some beautiful calm Southland sunshine, which has been rare lately.

Keith was hand-raised here as a chick. As he grew he needed to head up to Project Kereru in Dunedin to learn to be wild again. They have a permanent "rehab" kererū there (one whose injuries mean it can't go back to the wild). It's content in its big aviary and gives valuable company and guidance to the young ones being rehabbed.

A huge thank you to Phips Angel, who kindly answered our call-out on the Otatara page and brought Keith home from Dunedin for us.

So often the injured kererū that come to us are beyond repair, so it's lovely to have such a good win to celebrate.

A wee reminder: kererū injury season is starting. If you have windows where the birds hang around, please do what you can to make the glass obvious to them. Reflectors and decals work, or just leave your windows dirty (the perfect excuse!) to help prevent bird strike.

29/09/2026

Hi all, Do you remember Keith the Kereru? Well he is now all grown up and ready to return from Dunedin back home to Otatara to be released, many thanks to Project Kereru. We are looking for a volunteer, someone traveling Dunedin to Invecargill who might be able to transport him back. Please text me Gretchen 021512147 if you are able to help. Thank you!

Note: Picture is from before, we will likely be able to share a pic of adult Keith when he gets back here.

28/08/2026

The Bush Haven Trustees would like to acknowledge and thank ILT for their recent grant of $750.00 towards our costs of rehabilitation of birds in our care.

Without grants and donations we would not be able to continue our work.

We have recently had to purchase a large amount of PPE gear to ensure our rehabbers are safe. This will help offset some of the costs.

Thank you once again ILT for your ongoing support.

27/08/2026

Remember Keith the late kererū chick who was transferred to Project Kererū after being hand raised by Jo and then Kathy? He is doing so well learning Kererū things! If you are looking to put in plants to support our native wildlife then Tree Lucerne is an excellent choice.

08/08/2026

UPDATE: Bush Haven has re-opened. We are able to take a limited number of injured kererū, tui, bellbirds and tauhou (aka white-eyes, silver-eyes, wax-eyes) and owls. Please understand we cannot take seabirds, ducks or raptors (except owls).
We will continue to reassess the situation regularly as we receive more information on H5N1 Avian Flu.
We suspended intakes until we could develop our protocols for dealing with birds when Avian Flu arrives in Southland. These will be published on our website in the next few days.

For injured kererū, tui, bellbirds and tauhou please phone Bush Haven on 0225096712.
For owls please phone 0276164496.

Thank you from the Bush Haven team
Please share this post. ❤️

19/06/2026

Keith update: Doing so well ❤️

11/06/2026

Keith update for those following our chick who was transferred to Project Kererū for wintering over with friends. Looking great thank you, Project Kererū! ❤️

18/05/2026

Another update on Keith from Project Kereru. Happily picking out the grapes from his breakfast.

09/05/2026

Update on Keith!
Thanks Project Kererū!

This little kid is a rehab collaboration between myself and Bush Haven in Invercargill.

He came into care at the end of March after his nest was accidentally destroyed (the tree it was in was cut down) so he's been in care for four weeks.

The team at Bush Haven were in the situation where this little kid was the only Kereru in care at present. On one hand - a good thing....but for this wee one, not so much. Being in an aviary on his own and being so young put him at risk of imprinting on humans. Having no natural fear of people puts him at even more risk when released.

I've currently got 4 in temporary residence and at least one (the little kid who fell from his nest at Botanical Gardens) will be over-wintering until it's old enough to be released when there is more food around.

By temporarily transferring the little guy up from Invercargill it means he not only has company of his own kind, but he will learn how to eat trees, fly and have very little human interactions (only when I go in to feed once a day) as he grows over the next few weeks before he goes back down to freedom.

When we all work together we can have greater outcomes for our wildlife, and for me, this is what it's all about.

Right now, this little kid just needs to learn "how to Kereru".

28/04/2026

Keith the Kererū update..

Well would you look at Keith now …. 355 grams of chonky handsomeness. Eating well and will soon be in a fight aviary preparing for release. 💕