Public telephones in the wild

Starting with my post on the telephone boxes of doom from 1924, things proceeded through to Jayne including a link to that on her blog (thanks again, Aussie):

"As we've just about lost all of our lovely old red public phone boxes *sniff* have a gander at the ones in NZ."

To which I responded over there:

"Sadly, the red phone boxes pictured are in captivity, ie. MOTAT, our transport and technology museum out at Western Springs. All we have on the streets these days are mainly those booth things, if we're lucky. Down country there might be pockets of difference tho' (more fingers crossed on that)."

Well, I found one a bit closer to home than that, yesterday.

When studying the public telephone box in the wild in Nu Zillund these days, there are usually three types -- the semi-booth thing where only your head and shoulders are sheltered from the sides (Type A), its cousin where at least your legs get a bit more shelter from the southerlies or the westerlies (depending on where the booth is) (Type B) ... 

Type Bs are changing their livery/plumage to this:

 

 

and the enclosed one (Type C) which is approaching extinction if not already there, descended directly from the classic, close-to-extinction in the wild, wooden telephone box (Type D-1). Type D-2 are Type Ds which are in captivity and have been struck dumb, their telephonic equipment removed (poor buggers).

But ... I found a Type D-1, in Parnell.

 

 

And ... the telephone's still there!

Sadly, though, this appeared to be a solitary specimen, so with no sign of any breeding pairs, this appears to be a one off. Nice plumage, though.