 Waiting out the moult Hello friends and family Gavin carried on cleaning out the shed at the start of the week and by Tuesday we were ready to call the Skip company and ask for it to be removed. On Monday night we went to the Moeraki Tavern for dinner, and they produced Blue cod deliciousness.  You can't see me The penguins in care are getting grumpy. They are coming out of the moult and think that they don’t need to be fed anymore, but I disagree so we are all waiting for that last feather to fall and they can go and get their own fish.  All dressed up in a new set of feathers The team came out on Tuesday and all penguins in the reserves were doing just fine. We tried our hands at matchmaking and put Mrs W3 and Mr Od5 into the soft release pen at the Bluffs overnight to encourage bonding. Fingers crossed! Gavin came to the Toptip on Wednesday morning, and we got rid of the last of the recycling out of the shed. While we were having lunch at Vanessa’s, we saw the loaded skip going past – great satisfaction for a job well done.  Gone fishing I took Gavin to the bus in Oamaru on Thursday morning and then went to Okahau with the team. On Friday I completed the funding application for the ORC ECO fund – it gave me a headache! Yesterday was laundry day – sunny with a light breeze, just lovely. Have a great week! Rosalie   Every feather has to be attended to. Hello friends and family Sunday and Monday were good days for getting small, outside jobs done, including beach searches. We got rain overnight on Monday and then on Tuesday there was a cold southerly wind blowing. There was a lot of penguins at home, and they were very vocal. Most of our breeders are at home now and they are in great condition – none needed our help.  The penguins don't seem to mind looking scruffy Wednesday was much nicer and disappeared quickly. I did the rounds down here on Thursday morning with the team and then went to Oamaru to pick Gavin up off the bus. What a treat to have him visit! On Friday we went to Dunedin to pick up ‘Bruno” a recently moulted juvenile penguin who has had many adventures in his short life. He will stay with us until his salt glands are working and then he will be released. We had lunch at the Albatross Centre and got home by 2:30pm.  The seal pups are waiting for mum to come home The skip arrived. Gavin’s mission for this trip is to clean out the garage. He had the skip half full by lunchtime on Saturday. In the afternoon, we went to the Bluffs to get photos for the funding application and then carried on with the cleanup.  Off to sea for the day Today we will begin the day with a trip to the Toptip with cardboard recycling to make space for more sorting. Have a great week! Rosalie  All new feathers! Hello friends and family On Sunday, Elaine came with me to feed the penguins at the Bluffs, We met up with Murray and released the penguin that had completed the moult. It headed straight down to the beach, knew where it was and where to go. Awesome!  The growing season has been great In the evening, I got a call about a penguin at Karatane wharf. Off I went, and it took skilled eyes to find it – no skill required to observe the numerous dog footprints all over the beach. I was home by 9:30pm and off to bed!  The new Katiki Wildlife area residents Tuesday was such a busy day that I forgot the WReNNZ meeting that I wanted to attend at 7:30pm – it fell out of my head. In future, I will set an alarm! By 9 pm the rain had arrived Lovely steady rain that delivered 16mm overnight. It was inside jobs for Wednesday, other than a trip to town for groceries.  The moon is above the haze Thursday morning was fine and warm. The team did the rounds down here and then Murray and Robbie went off to Palmerston to see if there were any bargains at the closing down sale of the timber yards. Not a lot! On Friday, I released 2 more penguins so am down to 7 in care. I tried to see the rise of the blood moon, but the haze on the ocean blocked it out for the first hour.  Blood moon Yesterday I got a call about an injured penguin on the rocky shelf at Shag point. It was about 3:30 pm, and the tide was in. The penguin was an injured juvenile fledgling and needed help. The lady who found it and I, crossed the submerged gut, using river crossing techniques, and saved it. I headed straight down to the wildlife hospital and got there at 5:30pm. The vets were waiting for me and took it in. By the time I got home, fed the penguins and had dinner, it was 7pm. Here’s hoping the penguin survives. Have a great week! Rosalie  Moulting in the wild Hello friends and family This week I have been treating the penguins at Kawariki Bay for Malaria. We have them in the soft release pen, and rather than bringing them here, we are holding them at their home. I get to drive the ATV over a very rustic track and enjoy the ancient forest remnants on the way. It is a real adventure!  The 3 Erect Crested penguins are on their way On Tuesday we split up the team, sent the dead juvenile penguin on its way to Massey university, did the monitoring and Robbie and Murray caught the Bluffs penguins and brought them into care. The 2 females were under 6kg and needing support. The penguin featured in last week’s blog, did have an injured foot.  A Sealion down on the point Slowly, some of the penguins are completing their moult and so we are releasing them back to the wild. Incoming almost equals outgoing, so the numbers are stable. On Thursday, Bronwyn took one of our female breeders down to the wildlife hospital – she was not responding to our care and needs more skilled help.  Sealions everywhere! The temperatures have dropped and are falling below 10 degrees C at night. This will lower the mosquito presence and thus the Malaria risk for the penguins moulting in the wild.  About to begin the moult Our breeders are beginning to come home to moult now. It is an anxious time as we wait to see who turns up. Yesterday I caught Mrs Moulenbechia, and she weighed in at 7.3kgs. This will be the first season that she has not needed our help for many years. Have a great week! Rosalie  Hello friends and family On Monday, Robbie Murray and I went to the Bluffs to assess the health of the penguins there. Two were on the side of the cliff, so Murray abseiled off the edge, and herded them up towards the top, but they deviated off to the side into a gorse patch, and there they remain!  Today's challenge We went to Kawariki Bay and uplifted the 3 penguins there and took blood samples. Then we put them into the soft release pen to continue with their moult. It was their chick that died of malaria, and it seems that all 3 adults have it too.  almost ready to go! On Tuesday the team came out and we uplifted 5 underweight moulters and brought them into care. I opened the door of the soft release and the last of the chicks were on their way. Wednesday was my day at the Toptip and the afternoon was spent cleaning and reorganising penguins to cope with the influx. Jan brought our injured penguin back from the Wildlife hospital. We now have 24 penguins in care. Today we will microchip the Cresteds and they can go on Tuesday. Have a great week! Rosalie |
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