Clare Rose, Tiny Hiking Buddy (June theme "HIKING BUDDIES")

These little South Island Robins follow hikers along the tracks in Fiordland. Five years ago when I hiked in the same place, I didn't see a single robin however an intensive trapping programme for stoats has seen the birds like the Robin return and flourish so this year when I walked the Routeburn and Caples tracks I was often accompanied by a cheeky, curious robin along the way.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.