​Hello friends and family
One week seems to run into another these days. Penguins come and penguins go. More penguins are coming home to moult and at good weights which is wonderful. The one in 4 juveniles that need a helping hand through the moult all have good manners because of being in care last season.
On Sunday we uplifted 2 underweight chicks from Katiki Beach which brings our total to 60 chicks for this season. We also uplifted 2 adults with slashed feet, both were parents, and they are getting a much-needed rest. 

​We released our first penguins that had completed the moult – a Yellow-eyed penguin and a White flippered penguin. On Thursday, 9 chicks went off to the soft release pen. They are well ready, getting stroppy and not being so hungry.
Yesterday we did the bloods from the new chicks and both have high white blood cell counts and Malaria. Treatment has begun.

​Hello friends and family
Summer arrived this week – beautiful days and mild nights. The garden is in full swing and the penguins are getting on with business. On Monday we picked up 40 boxes of fish from NZ King Salmon who are generously sponsoring us again this year. This time it involved a trip to Hampden as we collected it straight off a big, 20 m Big Chill truck. On Tuesday we continued with our 90-day health check for the chicks and for the first time, saw some pre-fledglings on the beach. Robbie and Lindsey erected the soft release tent and by the next day, it had its first occupant.

​On Thursday we took the first hospital chick to soft release. It needed to go on its own as it is very aggressive towards the other chicks. It was a single chick and had Malaria early on and was treated in the field. On Friday I went to town and bought a new dishwasher. I have been without one for months and the problem was the motor controller, and it would cost $250 for the parts alone so after 6 years of trouble with it, I have now purchased a Bosch single one.

​Yesterday when I went to feed the chick, I saw another moulting juvenile and Mrs Flipper bird who should have been out fishing. The chicks on the beach had gone. We have 25 YEPs in care and one White Flippered. Happy days

Have a great week!
Rosalie
​

​Hello friends and family
The season is rolling on and the juveniles are coming home to moult. We will be checking them carefully to make sure that they are up to weight and moult successfully. On Tuesday 2 chicks had lost 20% of their weight when we gave them their 90-day check and so we brought them in. I was pleased to see both mum and dad at home the next day so at least they are still alive!

​On Thursday we brought in another 3 chicks with weight loss and it seems that they have sore throats that make swallowing painful so have not been eating. The rest of them are doing fine. We also picked up an underweight moulting juvenile and weighed another that was over 8 Kg!

​The weather went from scorching to freezing with gale force winds during the week which made things difficult. Robbie, Dom and I went to the hui on Friday to help progress the implementation of the reserve management plan. 

Yesterday Hiltrun, Elaine and I set out to do the 90-day health checks on the chicks but it was too cold to collect blood easily. We brought home 2 more thin chicks. We will try again on Tuesday
Have a great week!
Rosalie
​

​On Sunday night we got 27 mm of rain and Monday dawned fine and sunny. By mid-afternoon it was cold and wet. The joys of a southern summer! On Tuesday the team did the rounds. Daniel checked out a sheep app which may well work for us when monitoring the penguins. On Wednesday Daniel went surfing and I walked the coast. There were no struggling penguins. It rained again in the afternoon – currently we are getting four seasons in one day!

​On Thursday we brought in 2 penguin chicks (plus one sibling that was not thriving) that had tested positive for Malaria through a process called PCR and released 3 adults that had recovered from their injuries. We now have several penguin chicks that are over 6 Kg in the colonies, and some that still have parents at home, guarding them. 

​The ocean north of Moeraki is very dirty, but here on the headland it looks just great. In the afternoon, we went to the bluffs and set 4 penguin houses in place. This is to provide shelter for moulting penguins, the first of which we have seen this week. 

Yesterday we began the 90-day health checks. This is where we weigh, measure, and take a blood sample of the chicks for the final time before they fledge. They will leave in about 2 weeks so that gives us time to get the test results back and uplift them if they have Malaria. For most, it is the last time we will handle them until they return as Juveniles. We did 7 chicks and the lightest was 5.9 Kg, the heaviest 6.7 Kg. This has been a great season for the wildlife.
Have a great week
Rosalie
​

​Hello friends and family
This week we have continued monitoring penguins and traps. On Monday while at the point, I saw a pod of about 8 Hector’s dolphins. I have now downloaded the app and reported it. Daniel saw them again on Tuesday in Keepers bay. We found an injured adult penguin on Tuesday who we brought into care. That brought our patients up to 10. 5 chicks, 2 juveniles and 3 adults.

​A swarm of bees arrived and moved into the box beside the aviary – great. Then they started robbing the honey out of the boxes in the garage – not so great – then they decided to move into the garage! Fortunately, I heard them coming and was able to shut the garage doors in time. They settled in a Hebe and I was able to cut the swam out and put them back into the hives by the aviary. We will see who wins in the long run.

​On Wednesday Dom found an injured adult penguin. It has slashes to one foot and is now on antibiotics and progressing well. Our weighing went well on Thursday and all chicks are doing fine. On Friday I picked up 4 Little owls from Oamaru Bird Rescue to give them flying time in the aviary before release. They flew very well, so well that they found a hole in the aviary and all escaped. On Saturday morning I had a porch full of moths to feed them and no owls.

Dan arrived back from his trip to Milford sound and Hiltrun, Trii and Elaine came out yesterday to do the rounds. We are all enjoying seeing the chicks look so well. Long may it continue.
Have a great week
Rosalie
​

Hello friends and family
​Hiltrun came up on Sunday and we were able to do the rounds between the showers. We picked up 2 chicks. Chick 139 had lost weight since we uplifted mum and chick 13 was waiting for company before she came in. Both will be fed until fledging at about 100 days old.

​On Tuesday, the team came out and we weighed the chicks here. 2 were over 70 days old and under 5 Kg so they came in. We also picked up “Tumble Bum” the chick that had fallen down the hill and never caught back up to its sibling. It was also over 70 days and under 5 Kg. We micro-chipped the last 2 chicks so now all 58 have been done. Elaine has been very busy doing the blood testing.

​On Wednesday, Bruce and Noi came up from Dunedin with the children and we met up with Patrick and Nola to progress research into diagnosing and treating Malaria in penguins.

​The team got a clear round on Thursday – all chicks accounted for and all up to weight. In the afternoon, Dom and the 2 Dans went surfing in Kakanui with Lindsey. They found him to be an excellent instructor. On Friday we had a meeting with the historic reserve management group. Brian the archaeologist was there with a wealth of interesting information about local history. The catering was so good, I felt obliged to go for a long walk after I got home!

Yesterday was a sunny one and so I focussed on getting outdoor jobs done, while the boys went surfing with Lindsey.
Have a great week
Rosalie
​

​Hello friends and family
Happy New Year
May all go well for you this year. I have just returned from a mini holiday with Maria, Bryan and Daniel. We went to Queenstown before it went manic and the adults went on an e-bike wine trail while Daniel went mountain biking with a guide. It was fabulous and I recommend it to anyone travelling to Queenstown.

​We travelled up through the Maniototo and came back down the Waitaki river valley, stopping for dinner at the Moeraki tavern on the way home.

​On Thursday morning, Maria and Bryan left early to catch the plane home. Daniel and I were joined by the team plus Mel and Thor to micro-chip another 10 chicks. Lindsey is now fully signed off and Daniel was able to collect a number of fleas to help Sue identify what species they are and then we can refine their control on the penguin chicks.

​Cousin Daniel arrived on Friday and it has rained ever since. The New Year has brought us what we needed most – rain!

Have a great week!
Rosalie
​

​Hello friends and family
Best wishes for 2021. I realise that 2020 was very difficult for many people, but for our penguins it was the best year for the last 8 years. We have halted the decline of nest numbers and it has been a real team effort. Our increase from 37 nests to 41 here is an 11% increase. We have also seen a lot of returning juveniles which gives me hope that we have indeed, turned the corner.

​Together the members of the team have put in over 5000 hours of selfless hard work to achieve this outcome. They have done it with good humour and risen to every challenge that has come along. I feel very fortunate to have such awesome people in my life.

​When we got the sniff of resourcing, we decided to develop a monitoring app to improve the chances for all Yellow-eyed penguins to benefit. We beg, borrow and extract resources from dumps to keep going. Our work ranges from manual labour to highly technical activities and all is freely given. Thank you, team.

​On Tuesday we gathered to micro-chip more chicks and Jules came up to help, signing off Patrick and Lindsey to become registered handlers. We now have now chipped 46 of the 58 chicks. Bloods have been taken and slides read.

Maria, Bryan and Daniel arrived on Christmas eve and we spent Christmas day out in the sunshine, enjoying delicious food and just the right amount of wine to avoid a hangover. Today we are off to Queenstown for a holiday
Happy New Year and have a great week!
Rosalie
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