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Pūtangitangi for BOTY @putangitangi.co.nz · 24/09/2026

Lefty was being bullied all morning by some intruder girls, but he and Ngaire saw them off. Time for a big dinner 😁.

Pūtangitangi for BOTY @putangitangi.co.nz · 22/09/2026

Lefty is at a loose end while Ngaire is still looking after the eggs. During afternoon tea today, he's had to defend his Lucky Duck pile from a group of marauding mallards 😂. I love his green head, which only really shows up in direct sunlight. 🦆🦆🦆🦆 #AotearoaBirds

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Pūtangitangi for BOTY @putangitangi.co.nz · 21/09/2026

We think Ngaire and Lefty's chickies will hatch in 2-5 days. Can't wait!

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Pūtangitangi for BOTY @putangitangi.co.nz · 05/09/2026

Only Lefty has arrived this morning. Ngaire must be sitting on her nest. When she's here too he constantly chats to us, but when he's on his own he is always completely silent. Possibly trying to avoid drawing attention to the nest? #BirdOfTheYear

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Pūtangitangi for BOTY @putangitangi.co.nz · 04/09/2026

Voting is open! You can vote for Ngaire and Lefty at this link ♥️ www.birdoftheyear.org.nz?bird=paradis...

Ngaire eating her breakfast with Lefty standing in the background

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Pūtangitangi for BOTY @putangitangi.co.nz · 02/09/2026

Today we camped out in different areas of the park so we could catch Ngaire and Lefty taking off and landing. We've discovered that she is nesting on the island in the middle of this pond! ♥️

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Pūtangitangi for BOTY @putangitangi.co.nz · 30/08/2026

Listen to them chatting away! There's a couple of enemies circling around as well so they are also doing alert calls 🥰 #BirdOfTheYear

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Pūtangitangi for BOTY @putangitangi.co.nz · 27/08/2026

We couldn't find Ngaire for ages this morning! They finally intercepted us as we were about to leave 🤣 Lefty is doing a great job climbing the stairs. #BirdOfTheYear

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Pūtangitangi for BOTY @putangitangi.co.nz · 26/08/2026

Lefty is getting really fast now! His leg must be feeling better. When he wags his tail it means he's happy to see us 🥰. Vote pūtangitangi in #BirdOfTheYear!

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Pūtangitangi for BOTY @putangitangi.co.nz · 24/08/2026

Found her! Ngaire's turn to eat while Lefty stands guard.

A female pūtangitangi paradise shelduck eating duck food amongst the daffodils

A male pūtangitangi paradise shelduck watching his partner eat

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Pūtangitangi for BOTY @putangitangi.co.nz · 24/08/2026

Ngaire is missing in action this morning but Lefty's here. He greeted us good morning from across the stream 😂.

A male pūtangitangi paradise shelduck in the sun

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Pūtangitangi for BOTY @putangitangi.co.nz · 23/08/2026

We're getting closer to Spring. Ngaire has been nesting by the edge of the creek, laying an egg a day. Chickies won't be far 😁 Today we've had to clear off a grey teal and another paradise duck!

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Pūtangitangi for BOTY @putangitangi.co.nz · 09/08/2026

Lefty always waits for Ngaire to have her breakfast before he has his ♥️ There's a cheeky dunnock that's started showing up, stealing single grain and running away.

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Pūtangitangi for BOTY @putangitangi.co.nz · 08/08/2026

Lefty looking very proud of himself this morning 🥰

A male pūtangitangi (paradise shelduck) in front of a female. They are both Very Alert as another pair were flying around trying to move in to the park!

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Pūtangitangi for BOTY @putangitangi.co.nz · 08/08/2026

There are 9 Ngaire pūtangitangi, but can you spot the hidden Lefty? #boty

Ngaire Avenue has been taken over by pūtangitangi!

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Pūtangitangi for BOTY @putangitangi.co.nz · 06/08/2026

Another super cold morning, the pond is the most frozen we have ever seen in 2 years of walking around the park 🥶

Two pūtangitangi (paradise shelducks) eating breakfast. On the left is the female with the white head. Male all black on the right.

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Pūtangitangi for BOTY @putangitangi.co.nz · 05/08/2026

It's -1°C this morning! Ngaire and Lefty will loaf on the ground to keep their legs warm when it's too cold. Another park walker asked us how to train pūtangitangi this morning 😂.

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Pūtangitangi for BOTY @putangitangi.co.nz · 05/08/2026

Today we're investigating some potential nesting sites! Underneath this root on the bank looks pretty promising. 🦆🦆🥚🥚🥚 Once Ngaire has laid her eggs she'll sit on them for about 30 days until they hatch.

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Pūtangitangi for BOTY @putangitangi.co.nz · 04/08/2026

A beautiful autumn morning in the park today. The bombshells from yesterday have cleared off!

A female pūtangitangi (paradise shelduck) standing amongst fallen leaves.

A male pūtangitangi (paradise shelduck) standing amongst fallen leaves.

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Pūtangitangi for BOTY @putangitangi.co.nz · 04/08/2026

This week on Duck Island: Two bombshells arrive in the park! Will Lefty's head be turned? How will Ngaire react when she finds out? Stay tuned for more.

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Pūtangitangi for BOTY @putangitangi.co.nz · 02/08/2026

Intruders! A new couple (Van and Aurora) have moved into our park this morning. Hopefully they'll make good neighbours 👀

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Pūtangitangi for BOTY @putangitangi.co.nz · 02/08/2026

We had to track down our humans in the park today, they were late feeding us! 🦆🦆

A female and male pūtangitangi pair (paradise shelducks) grazing on their morning lucky duck. We were standing around chatting and they flew over us multiple times tracking us down 😂

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Pūtangitangi for BOTY @putangitangi.co.nz · 01/08/2026

Mōrena from the gardens! Lovely weather this morning as we eat our buffet breakfast. #boty

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Pūtangitangi for BOTY @putangitangi.co.nz · 31/07/2026

Our human friends might need to stop feeding us soon due to bird flu, but until then we're stocking up and getting as round as possible before breeding season starts.

Lefty the pūtangitangi in all his round glory.

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Pūtangitangi for BOTY @putangitangi.co.nz · 31/07/2026

Mōrena! We're Ngaire and Lefty, a pair of pūtangitangi running an unofficial campaign for Bird of the Year 2026 🦆. Lefty has an injured leg, and some nice humans have been feeding us every day to help his recovery ♥️.

A pair of pūtangitangi (paradise shelducks). On the left is a male standing to attention while chatting softly. His wife on the right is busy eating while he guards against enemies. They take turns eating and guarding.

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