Burrow husbandry manager Helen McCormick said this season had surpassed all expectations. “Because we hadn’t completed a full season at the burrow before, we really didn’t know what to expect.”
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Halpin was chick 104 to hatch at the Crombie Lockwood Kiwi Burrow near Taupo during the 2020/21 season and the final to be released. It was as if kiwi in the wild were playing catch-up because eggs just kept getting delivered, she said. Usually in two distinct halves this year the season blended into one, and eggs were still being delivered months after they were expected, noted the release. There were also an unusually high number of multiple clutches, with some nests producing two sets of two eggs in the one season. Unusually two pairs even managed to produce a third clutch.