 Having a day at home Hello friends and family. This has been another great week. Hamish and I planted trees whenever we could, and for the first part of the week, the penguins were coming home and providing great entertainment as they porpoised through the water.  The last meeting on the beach for a while On Wednesday we went to Oamaru to stock up on fencing materials and then went to the Moeraki Tavern for dinner. They have a great range of gluten free meals so Hamish could enjoy his meal guilt free. As usual, I had a Fisherman’s basket – Yum! Robbie came out on Thursday morning and got the roll of netting cut up before the rain. Stewart brought Helen and Roxie out for a visit in the afternoon and Hamish cooked Nachos for dinner.  The Hebes bring winter colour Hamish went home on Friday and I started the cleaning of Robbie’s rehab. I also got word from Ngai Tahu that they will waive the annual lease on the house which is a significant contribution to our conservation work. Thank you, Ngai Tahu!  A Juvenile! The Saturday team came and did some more habitat work. The behaviour change with the penguins was very noticeable. Not a lot of flying penguins or beach politics!
Have a great week Rosalie  All going the same way Hello friends and family Sunday and Monday morning where spent planting trees. On Monday afternoon we went to the section to begin clearing the gorse. It will be mostly a chainsaw job, but not impossible! The team turned up on Tuesday and more trees were planted. By Wednesday afternoon Hamish was wondering if we did anything else, so we went back to Hampden and got more done.  Doing the housework Thursday was bitter and so Hamish and I did the rounds on our own and Robbie came in the afternoon to help plant more trees! From the planting site, we can watch the penguins coming home. They porpoise through the waves and move at a great pace. The first ones are coming home at around 2:15 pm so there is great viewing from then on.  4 penguins landing at once To add a bit of variety, on Friday morning we finished off the clean-up in the Aviary. This involved throwing a lot of rocks, so it is great to have that job done. In the afternoon we planted more trees until the penguins came home and it was time for us to go home too. Hamish and I are taking turns with the cooking, so we are living the high life at the moment. He is gluten free so that means I need to be a bit creative and he eats leftovers for lunch so that is easy.  The early penguin catches the bride! Hiltrun, Elke and Elaine came on Saturday and we did more blood tests on the 2 YEPs in care. One still has Malaria and the other, a bacterial infection. They will both be here for another week!
We saw the first returned Juvenile of the season – not for long though as the adults chased it back into the sea – something I have not seen for about 10 years. Have a great week! Rosalie  Just checking out the real estate Hello friends and family The weather was glorious for most of the week. I released the Christchurch chick on Monday and on Thursday we gave him a nudge and he swam off like a penguin should! I also released the Katiki Beach White-flippered penguin. He had sorted his feathers out and almost doubled his weight, so it was time to go!  Hearing the call of the sea. More trees have been planted – more circles made, and more Y posts banged in. Michelle and Charlie have done the watering. The Hugo wing is ready for next season.  On the way home. Grandson Hamish arrived on Friday and so Saturday was the first planting session. We planted Kowhais and Kakabeaks. Wonderful! Hiltrun and Elaine came out and did some tree work. We all enjoyed watching the penguins come home fat and early.  Just passing through. Have a great week!
Rosalie  Coming home mid-afternoon. Hello friends and family There is something satisfying about planting trees. It is very fiddly as well because we put in 2 layers of protection. The first is a biodegradable rabbit / wind protector and then around that, we put wire netting, secured with a Y post. It all takes time and when we have nice weather, it is great. Then the tree gets watered. We planted 15 trees on Tuesday.  The 2 White-flippered penguins I was back at the Top-tip on Wednesday. There was lots of hand – sanitising, social distancing and I had Chrissie to help me, so it was very social. I asked her (about 6 times) to get Owen to chase the cow around the paddock so she calves, and I can start making cheese again.  Sunsets are at 5 pm and spectacular It rained on Thursday, so Jan and I did the rounds and there were lots of penguin pairs at home. They were very skittish, so we had to be careful to not spook them as we want them to be comfortable in their nest boxes. It seems that the pairs have several boxes that they swap between, and we just hope they pick one!  A neighbourly distance check On Friday I went to Oamaru to pick up more netting and see the doctor. I am of an age where I need maintenance and my left shoulder has been painful for some time. I damaged it carting fish around over the summer and it has not yet healed. Now, with only 6 penguins in care – all a delight to feed, it should be on the mend. I may need some physio.  A new pair in Wooshy Bay Hiltrun and Elaine came out yesterday and we had a great catch up until the rain stopped and then got on with monitoring and track clearing.
Have a great week! Rosalie |
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