 2 penguins in the cliff top box enjoying the view Hello friends and family The start of the week was taken up with penguin work and cutting the hedge and then on Wednesday morning I did a fill in at the Top tip shop. It is always interesting to catch up with the locals and to find out the local news. I took the chainsaw to Owen for sharpening and delivered his new bee suit. I hope it fits!  A fantail sheltering in the bush of the reserve Robbie came on Thursday to install the gannet mounts and start on the hospital roof. He has all kinds of builder’s tools that can make the work so straight forward. The wind came up at about 2 pm and so we called it a day and he will come back next week.  The back wall of the hospital is built Jan and her mum came out to see the penguins in the late afternoon. They had a cuppa and we had a catch-up which was great. They saw 9 penguins coming home, all looking great. Norman phoned from Oamaru and reported 5 penguins going to sea on Friday morning from Bushy beach.  A stick insect enjoying the sunshine at the back door. On Friday, Elaine and I went to Katiki Beach and put out a new nesting box where penguins have been roosting. We took the chain saw and mad it possible to get there without being obvious. Erosion is rampant there and we want to make sure that they can access the area for the whole breeding season.
Chris and Hiltrun came up on Friday night and we did a full day’s work in the reserves yesterday. Have a great week! Rosalie  The Rock hopper is free! Hello friends and family I have started on the big hedge. If I want it cut I must do it myself. I will at do at least ½ hour a day with the goal of having it done by the end of May. I have a bit of time now as all the consultation deadlines have passed. While I am operating chain saws and hedge cutters, common sense dictates that I wear a safety helmet to protect my head, eyes and ears. It sounds so simple, but the outcome is that I am trying to work in confined spaces with a giant head. Go figure!  Having a day off fishing I released the Rock Hopper on Tuesday as he was ready to go – calling in the night and jumping into his water dish. What a treat to be able to help such an iconic species! He has a scar on his flipper which is probably why he needed a helping hand in the first place. Tuesday was my day to do a submission to the Waitaki District council about their 10-year plan. It made the ODT  Seal enjoying the afternoon sun My two Yellow-eyed penguins still in care are making slow progress which is great. I did the rounds on Wednesday and Friday. I am still catching predators – mostly rats which are probably getting hungry with no nesting sea birds to predate. Katiki Point made the ODT again yesterday katiki-point-tourist-site-suggested.  This is the big hedge. I climb on top of it to cut it Have a great week!
Rosalie  The Rock hopper will go this week. Hello friends and family Jan came with me to do the trap rounds on Sunday and we found a pre-moult adult weighing only 4.5 Kg on the landing at the Moeraki colony. He looked very pathetic and was one of our dads. We had his wife in care a month ago. These penguins raised 2 chicks and it must have taken a great toll for both to need help, and this is very late to be finding a pre-moult penguin.  A penguin having a snooze in the forest I pottered about on Monday and Tuesday, and Wednesday was my day at the Top tip. It was a glorious morning and so the tip was busy – I took nearly $100 which is good for mid-week. I caught up with different people so that was great. On my way there I noticed that an attempt had been made to steal the penguin money again, so I reported this to the police.  The damaged donation box On Thursday and Friday, I did some tree work in the reserve. I also mowed the lawn and tended the garden. The tomatoes and capsicums are still producing but the beans and courgettes have finished.  Basket fungus in the forest I got a call that there were 2 parcels for me at the camp, so I went to collect them. On the way I spotted a deer bounding across the paddock by the wool-shed. I wonder if it is the same one I saw 5 years ago, in the fog, on the road on my way to work.  Autumn glory in the garden Elaine called in yesterday and it was great to have a catch up and pass on the new First aid kit.
Have a great week! Rosalie  We are happy to see this pair at home for the day Hello friends and family This turned out to be a very busy week. On Monday, Rhys, the person writing the management plan for Katiki Point visited for the morning. He asked a lot of questions about the place, some which I could not answer, and at the end of it I felt saddened by recalling recent events and the loss of habitat for penguins. I walked off my funk in the afternoon by doing the trap round.  Ready for a roof Tuesday was a day for clearing the trees that had overgrown the penguin hospital and on Wednesday I headed south to Dunedin to do a couple of presentations. The trip south was stunning with wonderful autumn colours and sparkling water. The people that I was talking to were lovely and the day was made special by visiting Sue and Merrell to see their new patch of paradise.  Where is my fish? I spent Thursday and Friday at the Oamaru penguin symposium. The first day was about Little penguins and the second day about Yellow-eyeds and other species. There was a lot of new technology revealing new insights into penguin behaviour and lots of familiar faces. We were able to ask questions about our malaria project and get support from great people. The food for the conference was excellent.  Enjoying the sun before release John from Massey visited on Saturday and we did the rounds. We found a cast sheep, so it was as well that we went. We also released the Juvenile penguin from care and he weighed 6.6 Kg Go well little one.  Having a day at home Have a great week!
Rosalie |
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