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From our scientist, Hiltrun Ratz, PhD
scientist@penguins.org.nz 
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We are so blessed with so many sponsors and so are the penguins: these two were named after Flintstone characters! They are raised by Lesley and Chris in Chris' Cabin.....a super-sponsored family. One of the chicks is hiding though. As the chicks grow older they wander more so soon the nest will be abandoned and the chicks will find a new spot to hang out. It won't be far from the nest so they are easy to find.  This is Hollie's mate who was rather furious about the visitor with the camera and there was no doubt that there was much swearing. The chicks are huddled in Penny Box 4, well protected. One of them is freshly sponsored and called Lexie.  Those of you who have been following us for a while will remember that Jackson used to have a male mate called Freddie (!) and they have done a wonderful job raising chicks that needed a home. Freddie has been tending a dummy egg after Jackson moved in with Hazel and they are now raising one chick: freshly sponsored Skipper. Hazel didn't raise any chicks last season but she and Skipper are in good hands - or is it flippers? - with Jackson whose chicks last season were among the fattest!  Vivek - is a girl - and she is always the last to lay eggs and this year one of her eggs did not hatch - but the other one did and this is Fluffy - aptly named for the youngest of this year's chicks. Coming along very very nicely.  These two freshly sponsored chicks are raised by Mary and her mate - yes there are two chicks: one is peaking out from behind mum!  These two brown fluff balls are Shaju and Janet's bundles of joy, freshly sponsored and 3 weeks old. Looks like one of the chicks is a bit hidden inside the nest box. The chicks are getting more adventurous and taking walks in the colony. A quick note to all current and potential sponsors: It is so wonderful how you support us, and it gets really really busy trying to stay on top of the sponsorships. Please be patient, we are all volunteers and need to find time. You will get your certificate, promise, especially if there is a deadline like for Christmas. Thank you so much for your patience.  There were questions floating about recoveries of last year's chicks that were sponsored. We see some juveniles around - like this one hanging out with an adult. These two stayed unidentified because it causes stress to approach them to identify them and we try to avoid that. Sometimes we can identify them, so here is a list of chicks that have been sponsored in the past and have - so far - returned: Pringle Kumerahou Charlie Hehu Noodle Pink Danielle Lola Jax Casey If yours is not among them it only means we have not identified it. Obviously not all chicks make it and some move to other colonies. Updates will be posted if we record anyone with a name!  It's that time of year: we have chicks available for sponsorships! Despite the sad news that a few of our chicks have died, we still have plenty. Here are the first two out of the blocks: Pooyasha and TimTam. Trying to sneak up on them while they were having a wee fight, the photographer was not quite quick enough to capture it. TimTam decided it was time to hide behind mum in the box, but Pooyasha stayed where s/he was. Mum had to look too what had spooked TimTam. It's not easy to avoid them noticing the visitor, but the chicks are getting bolder now that they are able to move about it bit more.
Apologies for the break in posts - November has proven to be very, very nasty to our yellow-eyed penguin chicks and we have lost many - not to Diphtheria but to something else and we don't know yet what killed some of them. Below is a list of sponsored adults and boxes - and now that we have finally arrived in December they are up for sponsorship. If your sponsored penguin does not feature here, they are having the summer off. If you have any questions, you can message us here on FB. Collins Family box: 2 chicks Stitches: 2 chicks Dylan and Poppy: 2 chicks Chris and Lesley in Chris Cabin: 2 chicks Hazel and Jackson in Evania Milne: 1 chick Rio in Familie Carlier-Hens: 1 chick (ear-marked for sponsorship) Vivek: 1 chick Stewie Junior and Anna in Uncle Chang's box: 1 chick Eire and Noelyn: 1 chick Logan Bear: 1 chick Shaju and Janet: 2 chicks (ear-marked for sponsorships) Meghan: 2 chicks Odd Simen and Butterbell in Lacenest: 2 chicks Ming (photo): 1 chick Mary: 2 chicks Hollie in Penny Box 4: 2 chicks Bequette: 2 chicks Morgan in Penny Box 1: 2 chicks Eric and Thor: 2 chicks Ewan and Shannon in Spitfire Rise: 1 chick Molly: 2 chicks MamaPingu: 1 chick Harry and Pompey: 2 chicks (ear-marked for sponsorship) There are other chicks but parents or box are not sponsored. We have 48 all up, and every day they are growing. We did our best to keep everyone alive but we can't cure death. Hopefully next season we will know more about what killed our precious chicks and with that know what to do to prevent it.  It's not been an easy few days with quite a few penguin chicks dying unfortunately - updates later - and horrid wet weather (although we did need the rain) making it near impossible to take photos. Pompey and Harry though have a trail camera on them and we have selected a gorgeous photo of their two bubs in the nest. It's in the middle of the night and both parents are at home. Both chicks had Diphtheria and were treated and so far are clearly thriving (other chicks did not) so it's been a bit of a mixed bag overall. Enjoy these two - and just a reminder: if your scroll back to 9 November you can see that they have really grown loads!  |
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