 The penguins are checking out the nest boxes Hello friends and family, On Sunday morning I did the rounds down the hill and went to Okahau in the afternoon to plant 10 trees and check the traps there. I got a call about a Hoiho on Katiki beach – sure enough, it was Bruno! At least she had not gone north and had stayed at sea for a week.  The moonlight shows that the lake in the middle view is full again She came ashore to a fisherman, who had seen another Hoiho on the beach at Kaikoura. What a lucky man to see 2 of them!  Penguins checking out the nest boxes The wind arrived on Monday so I deep-cleaned Robbie’s rehab, out of the wind. I get quite a feeling of accomplishment when I complete these annual cleans. On Tuesday morning, the team came out and we did the rounds. Bruno threw up, so I took her to the Dunedin Wildlife hospital in the afternoon.  Drain bird looking plump On Thursday morning Murray and Tobi came out to do the rounds and we upgraded box 28 and box 200. Murray brought out 14 trees with him, so I planted them on Friday morning. In the afternoon, Alec from Evident came and set up the new microscope. What an awesome tool. My 10-year-old laptop can just cope with the software so that was a stroke of luck.  The five-finger coming into bloom Yesterday Trii came up to help for the day. We have tidied up the trees too small to be planted out this winter. They are now in big bags and can grow, ready for planting out next season. Have a great week! Rosalie   An unusual rabbit at Okahau Hello friends and family Dan and I continued with our tree planting on Sunday and Monday. We have now planted enough trees to counter our planned holiday to the USA, with 2 trees for every hour in the air. The work certainly warmed us up in the cold! On Tuesday morning, the fog rolled in. We did the rounds down the hill and then, after lunch, Dan and I went down to Dunedin to do some consumer research on PPE suitable for penguin work. Not a big consumer demand!  being watched at St Clair's for dinner After an early dinner at St Clair’s, Dan got a shuttle to the airport, and I drove home in the fog. Dan was lucky to get home as the fog covered the whole country. When it is foggy, the light from the lighthouse gets reflected onto the house so it can be annoying.  The first basket fungus of the season The cold weather continued for the rest of the week. On Friday I started on the annual deep clean of the hospital. I got it finished yesterday and plan to plant more trees today. Have a great week! Rosalie  The footprints that inspire us. Hello friend and family On Monday morning I headed south to pick Dan up from Dunedin. He caught the shuttle in from the airport which saved me an hour of travel. This was the day of an 8-hour power cut, so we went to Vanessa’s for lunch. The sun was shining, we found a spot outside in the sun, it was very pleasant!  The native Broom is flowering. On Tuesday morning the team was joined by Patrick and Bruce and Jim from DOC Dunedin. The purpose of the meeting was to have Hoiho identified as a species that needs our support to avoid extinction. We want to be able to care for our penguins during the expected outbreak of HPAI, bird flu. It was a worthwhile meeting, despite the unknowns, which included when it will happen.  The view from Oamaru We also got the call that our microscope had arrived in Oamaru, so on Wednesday morning, we went to town to get costings of antiseptics, PPE and the microscope. Thursday was another pleasant day, so Dan and Bronwyn planted some trees while Robbie and I met online with Jason from OPERA. (Otago Peninsula Environmental Restoration Alliance). In the afternoon, Dan and I went to the Bluffs to check the traps and admire the trees we planted on his last visit.  Moeraki harbour on a winter's evening It was more tree planting on Friday, but Saturday was so cold we worked on the annual report, now complete, and the Aviary, now clean! Last night we went to the Tavern for tea – it was very busy and booked out. Today is cold and grey. We will hopefully plant more trees! Have a great week! Rosalie  Bruno is making good progress Hello friends and family We started the month with an icy blast from the south. 30mm of rain was very welcome, but we did spend Monday indoors, blobbing. The team slipped and slided around the monitoring rounds on Tuesday morning. The afternoon was not much better!  signs of life - rain revives this Kahikatea On Wednesday morning Daniel, Amber and I headed down to Dunedin with enough time to call in to see Jan. I had a hospital appointment late morning, to get the stitches out of my face. The job was done very smoothly so we were able to sit down for lunch at the pizza place in St Clair by mid-day.  winter is fun time for fabulous fungi The next stop was the newly opened Kmart. I had a list of items and we walked around the store twice but none of us found anything we wanted. The next stop was the hardware store where I got everything on my list with no problem. I ended up dropping them at the airport half an hour early and getting home to feed Bruno by 4pm.  another glorious sunset On Thursday morning the team was joined by Mel and Janelle. They came with goodies and left with our collection of penguin blood. This will now be stored at minus eighty degrees, which will ensure its viability and make it more accessible for researchers. I spent the rest of the week pottering about, not spending too long outside in the cold. Have a great week! Rosalie |
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