 home again Hello friends and family The weather cleared on Monday, and I carted rocks and planted trees – very satisfying but not exciting! I weighed the fledgling that has gone from 3.6kg to 5.4kg. It is still eating 16 fish a day so I will keep it until it is not so hungry.  another glorious sunset The team came out on Tuesday morning and we checked that all was well with the penguins who were all out fishing. In the afternoon I got a call from Shag point and arrived in time to help Stewart who had rescued another fledgling. It has not been in care before so some training will be required!  the Kowhai is blooming very early this year On Thursday morning we gave the new fledgling a thorough check up and found she had an old injury to the foot. I had observed that she was reluctant to stand up, so this explained that behaviour. By Thursday afternoon, she was feeding from the hand.  Having a day at home On Friday morning I found a fledgling at Okahau and then, on Saturday morning, one here. Elaine came out and did the bloods – both are unwell. It is a quandary! Fledglings home so early but not well. We are thrilled that they are back. Have a great week! Rosalie   Excuse me - this is our place Hello friends and family The much-heralded rain arrived on Monday afternoon, and we got 5 mm – the temperature dropped by 10 degrees, so it was a good time to be indoors.  The right spot We did the rounds on Tuesday and Robbie found a distressed penguin. We brought it into care, but it died overnight. I transferred it to the DOC ranger at Palmerston on Wednesday so was pleased that I didn’t have to go all the way to Dunedin. Just as we got back from the rounds on Thursday there was a call about a stranded penguin at Moeraki. Robbie and Murray went off to save it. It was in a very bad way, so I took it down to the wildlife hospital where it failed every survival test and was put out of its misery. It was a regular in rehab but its chip had moved so we could not identify it – that happened at the hospital.  What the point looks like when people stay away On Friday it rained all day as predicted. We got 7mm but it was perfect for the newly planted trees so when the sun came out on Saturday, I planted 7 more. I was very pleased to see Titi (Sooty Shearwaters) on their migration to Siberia. They are the most numerous seabird and spend our winter in Siberia, returning late September to breed here, mostly on off-shore islands where they are safe from most mammalian predators.  The great migration begins Yesterday I did the rounds and planted 7 trees. Today is wet again so I am tackling the list of indoor jobs. Have a great week!  wearing a new suit Hello friends and family Sunday plans were interrupted by a call from Timaru. A Hoiho fledgling had landed on the boat ramp on Saturday night and was still there on Sunday morning. Our trusted friend Peter organised its rescue and I picked it up from Oamaru. It had slash wounds to its foot and weighed only 3.8kg. A quick check of its microchip number showed it was from here, had been in care and then fledged on 18th February.  buddies Like all penguins, it remembered how to feed from the hand and has settled in quickly. I shifted Sunday’s jobs to Monday and began the pruning at Okahau. With a dire weather forecast in place, I checked the penguins then – just as well as Tuesday brought a nasty storm – 15mm of rain and an icy southerly – a good day for inside tasks!  I don't need help thanks! Wednesday was Toptip day, and I took a few more treasures to be reused in the community. The morning was cold but sunny – lots of people came and it was a busy morning.  clean air and low sun - natural beauty On Thursday the team was treated with sightings of a Kereru and a Juvenile Gannet. The juvenile gannet was with an adult, and they were both fishing around the point. After the rounds here, we split up and got on with monitoring, tree planting and chain sawing at Okahau. There is much to do there, so every working hour makes a difference.  After a cold snap we can see the Otago peninsula from here Yesterday I took rocks to the Bluffs in the morning and then, after lunch went to Okahau to plant trees and prune. There I found an injured penguin on the beach that I rushed to the wildlife hospital in Dunedin. Today I will be planting trees and pruning at Okahau! Have a great week! Rosalie   On their winter break. Hello friends and family The days are getting shorter and so the change to daylight saving is timely. The penguins are mostly through the moult and so we have started the winter cleanup, which will be massive this season. The storm in October dropped swathes of trees at Okahau. The prolific growth since the storm has given us a challenge too.  Autumn is fungi time We started with Kevin’s bush on Tuesday, cutting back branches and clearing fallen trees. It was an easy place to start because it is easy to dispose of the green waste by throwing it over the cliff. In other places we will have to cut it small and make stockades or piles that we can walk around.  more fungi On Thursday, the weather won the day, so we did the monitoring rounds and left the big stuff for another day. We did not get a share of the rain – 1mm was it, but the seas were roaring, and it was very windy.  And then there were 3! The little shags are increasing I have started potting up my bin of cabbage tree seedlings and have had some success with the native broom seeds. We have one penguin in care.  These 2 sealions are becoming regular visitors Have a great week! Rosalie |
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