PENGUIN RESCUE NZ
Te whaka oraka o te takaraka
Weekly news
From the Sanctuary Manager, Rosalie Goldsworthy MNZM
rosaliegoldsworthy@gmail.com
rosaliegoldsworthy@gmail.com
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 The Rock hopper has recovered from Avian Malaria Hello friends and family The much-promised bad weather lasted long enough for me to complete my tax return and to cook a bacon and egg pie, but that was about it. On Monday I went to the Bluffs with Murray, and we found penguin sign in a place not seen before. My theory is that the penguins have moved home now that the goats have been removed. We planted some penguin decoys and explored tracks. The one rogue sheep in the paddock treated us with the contempt we deserved and remains where he was.  catching up after a day fishing It was just me doing the rounds here on Tuesday and there were no penguins at home, I think they stayed out to avoid the large swells coming in from the south. I spent the afternoon sorting out potting mix.  dancing ocean On Wednesday Elaine and I went down to the End of Season meeting in Dunedin to share our learnings and help update the protocols that guide our practice during the season. There was vigorous debate and the meeting lasted over 3 hours. After that we went to lunch and then home. Jan joined Elaine and I on Thursday morning and once again, we did not see any penguins at home. We have started working on nest box upgrades so the penguins have choices when they are ready.  Henry releasing the Rockhopper It was great to catch up with Henry from the Antarctic Centre in Christchurch. He came down on Saturday and released the Rockhopper for us. He is the man who sent us 50 boxes of fish when we needed them most. A huge thank you can only be expressed by a penguin experience!  time to go The rehab is now empty. Have a great week Rosalie   Hello friends and family Elaine came out on Sunday and so we took bloods from both penguins in care, and the Rock Hopper has Malaria. We cannot work out how he would have got infected and can only guess that mosquitoes now live further south than what we knew.  On Monday, the work began on upgrading the main path in the reserve, so it is now closed until the end of August. It took less than 3 hours for tourists to find another way to get what they want. No surprises there! It is a timely reminder that a fence is so necessary to protect our penguins. It is being erected as a rabbit control measure, but it is also important as a people control barrier.  On Tuesday morning we had our health and safety briefing with the contractors, before doing the rounds. After lunch we cut the plywood for the first lot of penguin houses. On Wednesday afternoon, we were very lucky to be able to help out with a trapped seal. It had been caught on heavy duty fishing line and had the hook through its bottom jaw. Robbie and I helped Jim and Jules from DOC who were very proficient in their methods. The seal did not wait around for thankyous, but quickly returned to the sea.  On Thursday, we went to the Bluffs and checked out penguin access points at the south end. Robbie delivered the first native tree seedlings from the Garden Club. Thank you, Michelle! On Friday morning I went to Oamaru to check out some wire-netting that the Sluters have offered to give us for our fencing projects, and in the afternoon went to visit Sue in Dunedin hospital. The high winds arrived but the cold has not reached here yet. Yesterday I did the rounds. There were no penguins at home. Have a great week! Rosalie  starting to look like a Rockhopper Hello friends and family On Sunday I was pleased to be able to get out and walk the coast to make sure all the penguins were okay, and I was also happy to pot up the last of the Pohutukawa seedlings. It rained on Sunday night and Monday was glorious again.  you are being watched After we released the last two Yellow-eyed penguins from care, we were down to only the Rockhopper to look after. This did not last long as we picked up a fledgling with a sore throat on Thursday.  looking fabulous Thursday was the day I began piano lessons. I had lessons for a winter, about 40 years ago and made no progress as I never had time to practice. Now I do. I will add this to my list of daily diversions which all add up to about an hour. So, there is Wordle, Sudoku, Words with friends, Flow, Woodoku and now piano. No wonder the days are flying by!  a seal pup checking out Hiltrun Yesterday the rain stopped when Hiltrun arrived and started again as she left. I gave a talk to the Waianakarua ladies garden club in the afternoon. Have a great week! Rosalie  Our newest patient - an Eastern Rockhopper Hello friends and family The sunshine continues. After a quiet day on Sunday, Stewart phoned in the evening and delivered us a Rockhopper, in the moult and very underweight. On Tuesday we released the juvenile YEP and one of the adult males which has us down to 3 penguins in care.  telling fish stories on the way home I am deep cleaning the enclosures as soon as they are empty, but it does take a few days. The other job I am doing to clean up from the season is potting up the last of the Pohutukawa and Cabbage trees. I must stay off the garden centre websites until I have sorted out the plants that I already have.  Kakabeak loving the warm weather On Thursday we took blood from the Rockhopper and found he has a high white blood cell count which means an infection. As soon as we started treatment he perked up and started to feed from the hand.  yes we have kowhai blooming Yesterday I attended the WReNNZ workshop, (wildlife rehabilitators network of New Zealand), of which I am vice Chairperson. It meant staying in the kitchen all day in front of the laptop while Hiltrun did the rounds on her own, but it was well worth it. The rehabbers are an awesome group of people. They are kind, respectful and knowledgeable, which they are willing to share. Like all great conferences, I came away with knowledge to change my behaviour which is what it is all about.  Just resting in the colony Have a great week! Rosalie  Our place Hello friends and family The months are racing by, and the sun continues to shine! On Sunday we threw more rocks and on Monday went to the orchard, repaired the bridge and cut down some gorse. Tuesday’s rounds were followed by a trip to the Bluffs as Dan had not been there before. Wild seas and sunny skies On Wednesday we set off for Clyde in Central Otago with Elaine on board and went to visit Walter and Therese. The purpose of the trip was to acknowledge their contribution to our work with Life memberships of the Katiki Point penguin trust. Therese spoiled us with a beautiful, cooked lunch and Walter entertained us with stories of Moeraki from years ago. We continued our trip, through the Lindis Pass and down the Waitaki Valley to dinner at Oamaru.  Heading for the Benmore dam What a fabulous trip, with autumn at its best from start to finish. We left the coast to its drizzly grey day and travelled in glorious sunshine.  Autumn glory Luckily the sunshine followed us, and Thursday was very pleasant for the penguin rounds. We picked up 2 penguins that had been in care and then not gone out fishing after being released. The problem seems to be Fungal throat. They are responding well to treatment. In the afternoon we sorted the fish out so now I only have one freezer operating through the off-season.  Lake Dunstan On Thursday, the plumber came and replaced old, worn-out valves in the system. He also found a leak that was causing problems with the pump. What bliss! A plumbing system that works! Dan went home on Friday and Hiltrun came up yesterday. Have a great week Rosalie |
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