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Hello friends and family  Olivia Goldsworthy What a fantastic couple of weeks I have had! Firstly, I got to meet Olivia who is the perfect baby. She is gorgeous with a sweet temperament.  Me with a baby rescued from a car crash. Paul and Jen were their usual fabulous hosts and so we went on an adventure down the east Coast of Tasmania from Anson’s Bay to Freycinet National Park. The highlight was Cape Tourville from where we could see Wineglass Bay.  Looking south from Cape Tourville Then it was over all too quickly and I went to the Oil-spill response training at Massey University and then the WReNNZ conference. Meeting up with like-minded people is an annual highlight for me. The other rehabilitators in NZ are a passionate group. Most of us started our work before the great bureaucracy was born, and it was nice to have our expertise acknowledged by the professionals.  NZ Falcon on the pen at Okahau Point I drove home on the Sunday night after the conference as it was not windy in Christchurch and the forecast was dire. It is true – finally our drought has broken and the place is turning green again. Chris and Hiltrun had stayed over so I could catch up with the 6 new patients and the general news.  Beautiful Waitaki. On Thursday morning I got up early to drive to Waikouaiti to deliver a penguin off to Wildbase at Massey University. It had an infected flipper and needs serious medication that we cannot provide.  Penguin hunters. On Friday I went to Hampden and picked some apples. There is one tree left to harvest and still more pears on the last tree.  Off to work for the day. Note the second one is a Juvenile. On Saturday I cleaned up the back porch and visited Elaine. Today we are expecting a dry morning so I will update the cameras.
Have a great week! Rosalie  Home time after a day's fishing. Hello friends and family The big day has arrived and son Paul and daughter in law Jennifer have a beautiful new baby girl – Olivia. We are all so very happy and I will be away for the next 2 Sundays, playing with my new granddaughter so there will be no blog for 2 weeks. Hiltrun and Chris will be here to mind the penguins.  Thank you Rick for the sacks to carry penguins in. In the meantime, it has been busy in penguin central. We have new penguins in care and repeat customers that have been out at sea for a few weeks but now need a helping hand for few days. One of our juveniles was released last week but sits on the landing, getting fed right up until she decides to get back into the ocean and catch her own fish. Another one returned bleeding and will get a rest before heading back out.  Saying goodbye before a day's fishing We had a juvenile penguin die. This is the second death in the hospital this season, from more than 50 penguins. It is always horrible to loose them as we try so hard to save them all. It will be sent to Massey for an autopsy.  Spotted shags checking out the fur seals. Hiltrun and I attended the Oamaru penguin symposium and Hiltrun presented a paper on the gender disparity here at Katiki point. We have spare males that cannot breed because there are fewer females. They get quite desperate to find a mate and can disrupt the breeding pairs. It is a problem for the whole Yellow-eyed penguin population. It was great to see familiar faces and hear of the dedicated work being done with Little penguins. The colony that Viv and I set up in Days Bay is now being used for research!  A Sky point - classic penguin greeting. If you are going to miss this blog while I am away, check out our other blog
Have a great couple of weeks! Rosalie  Here is looking right back at you! Hello friends and family This week I have been working with the bees. I have removed the Varroa strips from each hive and checked that there was honey in the boxes for the bees to over-winter with. Mostly they are OK but some will need honey added.  A juvenile from nest 1 home again. Working with bees is best in nice weather as the workers are away from the hive, doing their thing, and so there are not so many bees to disturb. We have had some nice weather! The sea has been very calm and the Juvenile Yellow-eyed penguins are coming home and checking the place out. It is just wonderful to see them back so soon.  These are not happy bees - but they are healthy. On Tuesday morning I got a call from the Boulders restaurant – a penguin was on the beach in trouble. I picked it up and it is a juvenile YEP with a nasty gash to its tummy. At only 3.5Kg, it is very thin and needs help for a few weeks. Someone had written SOS in the sand beside it – strange!!!  A child left in the middle of a seal breeding area while dad is snorkling. On Tuesday night I went to talk to the Top-tip management committee, ever hopeful for some funding for new traps. One of the challenges of a coastal environment is that anything metal rusts – yes, my copper spouting rusted away to nothing! The traps have a useful life of only about 5 years. We need new ones – fingers crossed.  2 fine water tanks that will save carting water. Thursday was the day that David from Waitaki Resource Recovery Trust, brought us 2 water tanks for Okahau Point where we will be creating more penguin habitat. Thank you so much!  They feel as good as they look! The highlight of the week was the arrival of my new boots. For years I walked around in high heels, yet got made redundant anyway – now comfort rules and so I choose Crocs – these boots will keep my ankles warm as required. Retail therapy at its best.
Have a great week! Rosalie |
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