Flock Birdcare Wellington

31/08/2026

Duckling season, meets bird flu 🦆🧫🌾

New Zealand has now had three confirmed HPAI detections. With all three close to home.

Ducks are one of the higher risk species and can shed the virus while looking completely healthy. What does this mean for our little rescue? Unfortunately this season we have to be particulary strict. ⚠️

TRAUMA: call us on 021 195 5509. Hit by a car, dog attack, fishing line, broken wing, an obvious injury from a known cause. Mallards included.

SICK WITH NO INJURY: do not bring these to us, and do not pick them up. National guidance is clear that sick birds should not go to rehab centres. Three or more sick or dead birds together goes to 0800 80 99 66.

HEALTHY ORPHANS: this season they need a foster, not a facility. With our friends at Avian Empire we helped set up a national volunteer duckling register.

🐥 Because turning ducklings away with nowhere to send them was never going to fly with us.
Do you love ducklings and want to help out with some cute? We need more fosters this spring.

https://www.avianempire.co.nz/pages/fostering-list?srsltid=AfmBOop1l_4zGwQFSiO_h3IFJb7n8EKd4Pmq4A1bd4_llMJ7BK85RReM

https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1BekgzyvEH/

28/08/2026

🌼 Meet Kōwhai 🏵

This young budgie came into our care on 23 August after being caught by a cat in the Lower Hutt area. A kindhearted member of the public found him, cared enough to get him help.

Lil Kōwhai has now completed his treatment and is doing really well. He is currently with experienced foster carers while we look for his family.

Kōwhai loves millet and loves a good sing. He is clearly a companion bird who has been loved, and somebody out there is missing him. We are also gently converting him onto a healthier diet of pellets and fresh vegetable chop, so he will go home in better condition than he arrived in. 🌾

If Kōwhai is yours, or you know whose he might be, please contact us at [email protected] or 021 195 5509. We will ask for photographic proof of ownership before any reunion, simply to make sure he goes back to the right home.

Please share. Somebody in the Hutt is missing this little one.

If you would like to support the care of birds like Kōwhai, you can donate at https://www.flockwellington.com/donate

05/08/2026

🩼💕 Kia ora everyone, a little update from me, 🩼💕
(Nys founder and director of Flock Birdcare Wellington Charitable Trust)

As many of you know, I've been recovering from hip surgery over the past few weeks. Healing is going well, but it has meant stepping back from the day to day running of the hospital, which is not easy for me!

What has made it possible is our incredible team. Our staff, shift supervisors and volunteers have kept Flock Birdcare Wellington running beautifully while I've been out of action, and during one of the most challenging periods we've ever faced with avian influenza pressure on the sector. 🙌💓🤟

They haven't just kept the lights on. They've set up and implemented our new biosecurity protocols from scratch, keeping our current patients safe and the hospital open. Without this team, Flock would have needed to close its doors, leaving a huge gap in care for our native birds across the Wellington region. I am so grateful and so proud of every single one of them.

🧺 Bringing a bird to us? Here's how it works now :
Until protocols change, please use the doorbell at the entrance of our property and wait there. One of our staff will come down in the appropriate PPE and do an intake assessment outside the facility. This lets us determine whether the bird needs to go into the hospital, straight to quarantine, or whether humane euthanasia is the kindest option.

🏥 We know it might feel strange not to come straight up to the hospital, but we're asking for your help with this one. Coming up to the door puts our staff in a difficult position and risks the biosecurity of the whole property. Ringing the bell and waiting at the entrance keeps every patient inside safe. Thank you for helping us protect them

⚠️ A reminder on admissions
We are still not accepting clutches of mallard ducklings or seabirds with non traumatic injuries at this time. If a bird is suffering and in need of euthanasia, we can assist with that. Please get in touch and we will help however we can.

Thank you all for your patience and support while I recover. I'll be back on deck before you know it.
Nys 🐦

18/07/2026

Our little rescue was on 1News last night 🕊️

It was an honour to speak with 1News about one of the hardest decisions we've made: Flock is no longer admitting seabirds.

With H5N1 now confirmed in Aotearoa, first in a brown skua found on Petone Beach just a couple of kilometres from our hospital, we've had to act to protect the native birds already in our care.

Closing our doors to seabirds means we can stay open for the tūī, kererū and ruru who need us.
We know this leaves a gap for Wellington's seabirds, and that weighs on us. But biosecurity has to come first right now.

What you can do:
🔎 Keep an eye out for birds that seem lethargic, have watery eyes or nostrils, or show neurological signs
📞 If you find three or more sick or dead wild birds together, call the MPI hotline on 0800 80 99 66
🐕 Keep dogs away from dead birds on beaches
🚫 Please don't handle sick seabirds yourself

Thank you to everyone who has sent messages of support. This is a nervous time for everyone who loves our manu, and we're doing everything we can to keep our patients safe.

If you'd like to help us keep caring for Wellington's native birds through this, you can donate at flockwellington.com/donate

Ngā mihi nui,team Flock 🦜🪶🩺

15/07/2026

⚠️HPAI H5N1 Update: Changes to Our Intake Process

Flock Birdcare is putting additional biosecurity measures in place to protect our patients, our volunteers, and Wellington's native wildlife.

Before you do anything else, call us on 021 195 5509.

Seabirds: We cannot accept seabird admissions for the immediate future. Call DOC on 0800 362 468 for advice before intervening.

Mallards and other non native waterfowl: Only accepted with a clear physical injury and a clear reason for admission.

No drop offs without prior phone approval. As always, every intake starts with phone triage.

At the facility: You will be asked to wait outside while we meet you at a designated checkpoint area for further triaging. This keeps our patients safe and protects you too.

We still want to hear from you. With a confirmed case so close to home, we are taking every report seriously. Many birds will still have everyday injuries. Please don't handle any bird before speaking to us. Call, describe what you're seeing, and we'll tell you what to do next.

Backyard flocks and pet birds: Avian Empire is running a seminar this Sunday on what HPAI means for you. https://www.facebook.com/share/1GsmhqtGJm/

If you'd like to support our work through this period, you can donate at https://www.flockwellington.com/donate

14/07/2026

🌱 Flock is open as usual! 🐦💕
A quick note from our Director, Nys - Next week I'm heading in for a planned hip replacement, which means a few weeks of recovery mode for me (finally taking my own advice about rest and rehabilitation!)

🚑The important bit: Flock Birdcare Wellington will remain fully open and operational throughout. Our wonderful team of trained staff and volunteers will be running the show, backed by our veterinary partners at Avian Empire, so no bird in need will fall through the cracks.

If you find a sick, injured, or orphaned native or introduced bird, please reach out exactly as you normally would. Same contact details, same care, same commitment.

Thank you for trusting us with Wellington's wild birds. I'll be back on deck before you know it, hopefully moving a little faster than before!

Ngā mihi nui,
Nys and the Flock whānau

Want to support the team while I'm recovering? Every donation helps keep our patients fed and cared for: https://www.flockwellington.com/donate 🎀

02/07/2026

***Update*** pending pick up all ducks apart from Pickles have found a home 😊🙏🏡

Hello Wellington duck lovers! 💕🦆🌱

If anyone is looking for some Muscovy Ducks, we're looking to adopt out some of our rescues. While we adore them, we want to find them a forever home in a more suitable location.

We have, we believe, two females and two males.

💙 Males:
Pickles: a larger than average male with anglewing. We believe his wing should fix itself next molt, but he's otherwise healthy. He's an absolute glutton for seeds, and while he can be rehomed with Muscovy, he most likely will not be suitable with smaller species as he can be quite dominant.

Sweet Boy: smaller male, more timid but matches his namesake.

💓 Females:
Dill: friendly, a little sassy, but will eat out of your hand. She absolutely adores blackberries.

Jeanette: the famous Korokoro rescue, a little nervous but also very food motivated.

If you're interested in taking one of these guys in, shoot us a message and we'd love to chat!

Team Flock 🐦💕

29/06/2026

We're only 300 signatures away from 3,000! ✍️

When we started this petition, we had no idea how many people would stand behind better access to veterinary care for birds in New Zealand.

📝More than 2,700 people have already signed, but we're not done yet.

Every signature sends a clear message that:
• Bird welfare matters.
• Bird owners deserve access to experienced avian veterinarians.
• Telemedicine has an important role in improving access to care, particularly for people in rural and underserved areas.

If you haven't signed yet, please take a minute to do so. It really does make a difference.

Sign the petition here:
https://c.org/YYtwJ6q44Y

🚑💖🐦If you've already signed, thank you. The biggest thing you can do now is share this post. Every share helps us reach more bird owners, farmers, wildlife carers, veterinarians and animal lovers across New Zealand.

Just 300 more to reach 3,000. Let's get there together.

29/06/2026

Big week for Flock 🐦

You may have seen us in the NZ Herald recently, covering two storm-grounded seabirds that came through our care before being transferred to The Nest Te Kōhanga at Wellington Zoo.

And we're not done yet! Nys will be on Radio New Zealand this afternoon at 5:30pm talking about Flock's work and some of the things that matter most to us in wildlife rehabilitation.

That includes why DOC permits matter, keeping a patient cap to maintain high welfare standards, and knowing your limitations. Flock isn't set up for long term seabird care, which is why we partner with The Nest Te Kōhanga at Wellington Zoo and the SPCA. Getting birds to the right place is just as important as getting them off the street.
Permitted, capped, and always working within our limits for the sake of the birds.

Tune in at 5:30pm this afternoon and share with anyone who'd love to hear more about how wildlife rehabilitation actually works in Aotearoa.

🔗 flockwellington.com/donate

28/06/2026

Flock Birdcare Wellington is in the news, we're pretty chuffed our little rescue is making waves. 📰💕🐦🦆🦉

Flock Birdcare Wellington has already treated 600 birds so far this year.