Today I was pleased to catch a glimpse of a familiar to me, male banded (ringed) fantail, at Tuff crater.I first saw this bird on the 10th July 2012. I sent photos showing the bands to Massey University to find out any information regarding its history.
A researcher at Massey sent me the details that this bird was born on the 14th November 2011 in a nest that had been found in a garden at the edge of Tuff Crater on the 21st of October 2011.
There had been two male chicks and two female chicks born. The fledged banded bird was then last seen on the 3rd of December 2011.
I again came across this bird on the 5th March 2013 and sent further photos to Massey and the researcher noticed from the photos that its left foot was damaged.
However it appears to be still OK because it was with another fantail this morning that delighted me with its frequent visits (every two to four minutes) to this little nest as it added more material to the build.
I will keep an eye on it and hopefully we will see eggs laid and chicks hatched if all goes well.