 pretending to be proper penguins! 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!  more seal pups! 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!  mushrooms galore 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.  A parent trying to sort out some chicks 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   as big as mum! - note mum is still in good condition 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!  waiting for supper 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.  a rescued little owl getting flight time in the aviary 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.  count the pups! 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  a penguin creche 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.  after the morning shower 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.  Young swallows 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.  The family is growing fast 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  A happy family having family time 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.  Changeable weather this week 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.  growing up fast 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 first surf lesson 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!  gull chicks resting 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  Making new friends 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.  Stunning 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.  Maria and Bryan on the trail 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.  one of the many fleas removed from a penguin chick Cousin Daniel arrived on Friday and it has rained ever since. The New Year has brought us what we needed most – rain!  Spotted Shags lining up for takeoff Have a great week!
Rosalie |
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