Nene activity increases.
The Nene are just loving the mild weather, and no fewer than 17 gorgeous girls have already sat down to incubate their precious eggs. Most of these birds are good solid favourites of mine, and include many adopted birds including AUS, AYA, AXN, BBC, BBH, AUD amongst many more.
Sadly AUS and AXA (top photo) are yet to properly locate their nest. After creating an improptu and exemplary nest in the old Andean pen in 2011, they found their way to the Tundra in 2012 followed by a unexpected relocation to the Canoe long ground pool! AXA has completely lost her gravid rear end and they are starting to look like breeding may not be on the cards for them this year. The joy of 'being on a hill' in the tundra pen (the near equivalent of a Nene's primordial life's purpose) was clearly not enough! Their Tundra territory has now been claimed by new couple BEJ and AXD, who look set to make full use of the undergrowth nesting facilities...
Nene are incredibly fussy and show incredibly nest fidelity every season. I would go so far as to say that 80% of females are sat within 10 feet of their 2011 nest sites in 2012. BBH is snuggled up very close to her traditional spot by the South Lake hide, BCB has sat down exactly on her traditional spot by the Loop pump, and ALT and ALH (seen being fed by Maja) are claiming their favourite spot by the benches in the Canoe safari.
BBT gave me an absolute photographic treat when I found him in full defense mode, stood completely erect on a log adjacent BCB's nest. 
Never has a female been better protected... This comes in complete contast to his first marriage to BBU, who left him in 2010 for BBS in the first of many 2010 divorces well worthy of a soap opera!
Stay tuned for all the new couples, contraversial trios, familial dramas, and fights and feuds.
