Jeremy Wells uncovers some conservation stories as he journeys to Tiritiri Matangi, in Auckland's Hauraki Gulf, in the first episode of new local series Birdland.
Jeremy Wells travels to Huntly for the Huntly Annual Bird Show. He talks to enthusiasts about their obsessions with caged birds. He meets the birdman of Lower Hutt whose devotion leads to a conflict with the city council over his feeding of birds and visits the gannet colony at Muriwai.
Jeremy sees dogs being taught to stay away from Kiwis, and looks at Keas in the zoo and in their natural habitat. He visits a conservation area in Rotorua where there has been some success in helping save this highly endangered bird. He travels to a winery at Wairua Valley where native falcons are used to assist keeping pests under control.
Jeremy Wells travels to Massey University Veterinary School in Palmerston North where he witnesses the setting of a Harrier Hawk's broken wing, the Native Bird Recovery Centre in Whangarei where he meets Woof Woof the talking Tui and visits the Bird lady of Auckland, Sylvia Durant who looks after stray birds and bathes penguins at the local beach.
Jeremy looks at some of the birds lost to extinction, and visits the Honeycomb Caves in Karamea looking for moa bones.
Jeremy's journey starts off in Dunedin this time where he visits the local Ornithological Society. In this episode he concentrates on bird watching and bird-watchers.
Jeremy goes to a parrot picnic, and looks at the cost of some of the birds. He also visits a Weka farm where the owner hopes to one day put Weka on the menu.