Page 56 - 2008 NZ Subantarctic Islands

aucklandia. In addition to the rata trees, another interesting plant

is the tree daisy that grows in among the rata forest at the edges.
The flower of this tree resembles a daisy very closely, hence its

name. The world’s southernmost tree fern also lives on this
wonderful island. In places where the tree ferns gather, the island

almost looks tropical,

Then add another surprising indigenous creature and the tropical

designation doesn’t seem so far fetched: the red-crowned
parakeet! What on earth is this bird doing in such an inhospitable

and decidedly “unwarm” environment? He is about the same size
as our familiar cage bird and boasts about the same color green

feathers as ours. He has a crown of red feathers on his head which
makes him stand out even among the colorful megaherbs and tall

grasses where he flits and darts about. By the time we reached his
part of Enderby, it was gray, misty and overcast and looked pretty
chilly to us. This little fellow was totally unfazed and continued his

usual activities. He and his fellows are so hardy that they are not
considered endangered by DOC so no special measures are

needed for his survival.

Hooker sea lions also use Enderby for haul-outs and breeding
beaches. They are protected on the island, but there is a big

problem with these marine animals and DOC has not completely
understood what is happening to them yet. However, all signs
point to overfishing in the waters around the islands where the

sea lions feed. Because the mother does not get adequate
nutrition herself, her milk is not as rich as the pups need and they

do not thrive. For the same reason, many pups exhibit low birth
weights and never recover from that poor start. Last year about

80-90% of the pups on Enderby died. This year calving is late by
two weeks and no one knows what that portends. DOC continues

its research and monitoring to try to solve this riddle. One
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