20 years of restoration and pest control work has given you the chance to see many rare native species in Glenfern Sanctuary. During the daytime, around the houses and gardens you are likely to see kereru, tui, kaka and banded rail. Along Glenfern Walk you will hear and maybe even see those birds plus fantails, grey warblers, pateke and (seasonally) black petrel and even morepork. Australasian harriers glide over the paddocks, and at night you may see pateke near the houses, and hear kaka and morepork. Long-tailed cuckoos can be seen and heard during spring.
Along the shoreline you'll see kotare (kingfishers). Cormorants nest in the pohutukawa along the coast and korero (little penguins) nest along the shore. Oystercatchers are often seen along the harbour / estuary and occasionally you'll also see herons. Kotuku, the white heron is occasionally seen.
Other seabirds breeding in the Sanctuary include grey-faced petrels and Cooks petrels. Occasionally you may hear bellbirds, and red-crowned kakariki are vagrant in the area. North Island robins were reintroduced to the Sanctuary, and have dispersed south, nearer to Hirakimata.
Restoration of habitat is ongoing and will help provide an environment to support more bird species.