Scout

Occasionally NZ falcons will abandon their eggs for unknown reasons. Scout and her sister Hera, were eggs abandoned by breeding pair Sara and Napoleon.

Our previous aviary manager, Diana Dobson, successfully incubated and raised both chicks by hand.

Hera was relocated to Christchurch to support a pest control programme at the time, chasing feral pigeons from the University of Canterbury campus.

The other chick, now affectionately known as Scout, remained here at the Kārearea Falcon Trust to become one of our trained advocacy birds.

Scout has had a great start in our advocacy programme and in early 2024, she even starred in her first movie: Kōkā by AKU Films.

Scout is quite a character and is the perfect ambassador for her species. She is curious and very confident, often hopping over to check out new visitors, and in summer, has been known to enjoy a bath in front of a crowd! Scout shows us the amazing playful side to a typically fierce and elusive predator. She inspires people to love kārearea and helps create a community who want to see this taonga (treasured) species thriving across New Zealand.

Scout was named by our aviary manager Diana Dobson as a reference to her keen eye.

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