The South Island Robin

For my research, I needed to find out some facts or information about the South Island Robin. To organise my research, I made a list of K - What I already know, W - What I want to know, and L - What I have learnt.

What I already know:

• It is a small bird with white patch on its chest.
• It is only found in New Zealand.

What I want to know:

• What they eat
• When they breed
• What they look like
• How small/big they are
• What behaviour they have
• Where they live (particular place)
• What conservation and threats they have

What I have learned: (Information from this websites: NZBirdsOnline and RareSpecies)

What they eat

• They are insectivorous and they eat invertebrates when drought.
• They also eat ripe fruit in summer and autumn.

When they breed

• They start nesting in July, with the last clutches laid in December.
• Only 2-4 eggs are incubated.
• Nestlings leave the nest about 3 weeks old.

What they look like

• Light grey to dark grey with a white patch on its lower chest area. 
• They have long, thin legs.

How small/big they are

• They are 10-18cm in length and they weigh about 35g.

What behaviour they have

• Male robins are territorial year-round, although their aggression towards intruders is subdued during the moult. Pairs remain in their territories most of the time, occasionally sneaking elsewhere to feed, drink or bathe. Males dominate their mates during the non-breeding season, such that pair members are occasionally found apart.
• Robins use a variety of activities to flush hidden or camouflaged prey, such as foot trembling, wing-flicking and tail-flicking. 
• Other activities of South Island robins include anting, sunbathing and pellet casting.

Where they live (particular place)

• They are found in the South Island and Stewart Islands.
• They live in a mature forest, scrub, and exotic plantation.

What conservation and threats they have

• While forest clearance for farmland during the 19th and 20th centuries resulted in loss of habitat for the South Island robin, today the main threat to its conservation is predation by introduced mammalian predators, such as feral cats, stoats, possums and ship rats. Eggs, nestlings and adult females (which carry out all incubation and brooding of young) are frequently taken during the breeding season where predators are not controlled. As a result populations become male biased. Where pest control is carried out, populations increase rapidly, and the sex ratio returns to almost 1:1 within a few years – there are usually a few more males than females.  

My experience of researching the topic 'South Island Robin' became exciting yet challenging at the same time. South Island Robin was an unfamiliar subject or topic for me. I had a vague knowledge about it because I heard it before. What I found the most challenging aspect of my research was the similarity of information that different websites had. I did not know which was the reliable or unreliable website I need to look out for. 

I had 6 questions that can widen my knowledge about researching. 

1. Why do you think some of these websites introduce/recommend other websites that are similar to their topic?
2. Where did they get their information from? Was it their own investigation or they got the original information from other websites?
3. Why do different sites have the same topic but reported it in different ways?
4. Which part of their report or investigation showed contrast?
5. What does some of the websites mean by ‘references’?
6. How are these sites contrasting each other?

Understanding Features of Publishers (C.R.A.S.P)

Understanding Contrast
In its simplest from, contrast means making things different. This could include:

• Using small and large fonts.
• Using colors from opposite sides of the color wheel.
• Having dark colored text on a light colored background and light colored text on a dark colored background.
• Dark and light colors include black and white.

Understanding Repetition

There are two types of repetition:

• The first is repeating the same word a number of time "Sale Sale Sale" uses repetition to get the message across. In this case that there is a sale on.
• The second repetition is the same as consistency. If you choose a particular font/size/color for a heading or body text you should stick to it.

Understanding Alignment

• Alignment is a big word that basically means make sure things line up. None of the examples we have done so far have had any sort of alignment needed.
• Alignment is needed when you have blocks of images or text. It also means not mixing left, right. center and justified alignment when blocks are close to each other. 

A few tricks you can use to help with alignment include:

• Using the arrow keys to move objects around one pixel at a time.
• Increasing or reducing the size of the space between words to help get the size to match.
• Using separate text boxes for each block of text and making use of the alignment options.
• To get more precise font size types in the font size such as 10.5.

Understanding Similarity and Proximity

Similarity when things look similar - but they are not necessary similar at all.

Proximity is another word for close. It just means keeping things that are similar/related close to each other.

• You should not put half of a person's address at the top of a document and the other half at the bottom.

My Trip to Willowbank

On Tuesday 4th of June, we had an education trip. Ms. Briggs' Year 11 ESOL class went to Willowbank Wildlife Reserve.

At 10:50 am, the class walked together from class to the front of the school and got on the bus.

After half an hour, we arrived at Willowbank and got off the bus. Ms. Briggs assigned us to three groups

of eight with another teacher with us. Then, we entered the place. First, our group went to the area of

different kinds of birds. At 11 am, the three groups met in the Kea enclosure to learn about the Kea bird.

When the keeper, Rachel, gave us information about the Kea, we took notes and watched the Keas fly.

I shivered while were inside the Kea enclosure. Next, we had a thirty-minute break. After that break, we

again took a walk and looked at different animals inside the place. We went to the farm area and answered

the booklet that Ms. Briggs had given us. Next, we spent our one-hour spare time around the place.

We communicated with different animals and patted them. We then went home after we took some photos

in front of Willowbank.

The experience I had on this day was amazing. I learned new information and facts about the animals that I

have seen. I am glad that I got to experience this with my friends and the class.

The Kea

The Kea is a strong-flying alpine parrot. They are called 'Kea' because of the sound they make.

Keas have green feathers to camouflage them in trees. They also have 4 toes on each foot which allows them to manipulate objects. Keas’ beaks are long and curved which enable them to eat different types of food. Kea live on a forested and rocky mountain. In summer, they live on top of the mountain and in winter, they go down the mountain. They can be found in the South Island of New Zealand. Keas live for about 5 to 25 years in the wild and about 50 years in captivity. Kea breed from early July to January. The Kea’s nest is mainly below the tree line. Baby keas, stay in the nest for about 12 weeks with their mother, while their father hunts for food. The keas population size is now difficult because of the extensive range, low kea density, and rugged terrain. The conservation status of keas was declared naturally endangered in 2013.

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