 A Pied shag drying his wings Hello friends and family The week started with calm, frosty weather. I attacked the flax bush each day, removing 5 heels to soak in the pool. By Friday I had completed the front half so took a break to rest my shoulders.  The waxeyes enjoy the last of the season's apples Early in the week I rebaited the traps. We caught 5 rats and a hedgehog. Last season we trapped a total of 386 predators, the most common being rats.  The grove of Kakabeak is blooming It is great planting weather, so I have been planting Broadleaf trees at Okahau. The process starts with cutting and bending wire to hold the circles that protect the trees against the rabbits. Then I cut the wire circles and transport them to Okahau, where I clip them together.  Sunrise is now around 8am and spectacular I then select trees that have grown out of the top of their protectors and replace them with the wire circles. This frees up the stake and protector for reuse on a new planting. All this process takes about 20 minutes per tree, with most of the time spent walking!  More Spotted shags have returned to nest On Wednesday, I took Jan to Oamaru to visit her mum. It was cold, with snow on the mountains and bare trees. I have only seen one penguin this week – he was in his house, facing inwards so I did not disturb him. Have a great week! Rosalie   A pair choosing a very old nest box Hello friends and family We started last week with the AGM of Katiki Point Penguin Refuge Charitable Trust. It was great to have all the Trustees together but not so great to report a deficit of $8420. This represents about 1/3 of our income, so we need to do better going forward.  Moeraki harbour from the Tavern Last week, it took until Thursday for Dan and I to get the 20 Olearias planted. It was a combination of wet weather, sheep location and cold that kept us away, but It all came together then, and the trees are in the ground.  We now have fantails in all reserves On Friday morning, Dan and I set off to Christchurch at 9am. The forecast was dire, but we got to the airport on time and flew to Auckland for the WReNNZ (Wildlife Rehabilitators Network of New Zealand) conference. I am so fortunate that Dan lives in Auckland and enjoyed a weekend of living the high life in the city. He set the tone of each day by taking me to a café for breakfast – specially selected cafes with delicious food.  heavy seas have uncovered the boulders We then had to get to the Zoo for an 8:30am start to the conference. Saturday focussed on the great things that have been done for our wildlife in recent times, and Sunday was about preparation for Killer bird flu’ (HPAI H5N1 to be exact). I always enjoy WReNNZ conferences because the people are awesome. They take the time to provide compassionate care to our native species and then to share their knowledge generously. We had a room full of eco-heroes!  Yes - a juvie on its way home My flight home was delayed but Pauline had saved me a delicious dinner, and the drive home went smoothly. The lowest temperature was 5 degrees – no need to worry about black ice in the first hours of the night!  more luscious fungi Monday was a quiet one and Robbie came out to do the rounds on Tuesday. There was a huge sea that was very noisy, with no penguins at home. Wednesday was my turn at the TopTip and when the sun came out it got busy. We did the rounds again on Thursday and on Friday I mowed the lawns (yes really!)  Penguin politics Last night, Elaine and I went to the Moeraki Social Club mid-winter Christmas dinner, and I am now a member. This group gave us a generous donation towards the cost of fish for the penguins. We are very grateful. Have a great week! Rosalie  An AI version of me  getting an early start Hello friends and family Sunday was a glorious winter day – mild out of the wind and bitter in it. The sun shone right through until Thursday. Doing the rounds with the team on Tuesday morning was a pleasure!  rearranging the front lawn Dan and I have been updating the penguin box numbers. This is a huge job and will take most of the week.  The sun rises on a new season On Wednesday we went to Dunedin to gather supplies and enjoyed lunch in the sun on the way home at Blueskin nursery café.  The Native Broom blooms again We did the rounds on Thursday and then, in the evening the rain arrived. The weather stayed cloudy and gloomy for the rest of the week. Dan continued with the labelling between showers.  Dan took this on a pre-dawn walk On Friday night we went to hear Robbie’s talk about the walking tracks in the district and then on to dinner at the Tavern. We felt like real sociable types!  more unique fungi enjoying the damp The big achievement was completing the Annual Report. One of the outcomes from our year’s work was killing 386 predators. Rats were the most numerous (209) followed by possums (56) then ferrets, feral cats, hedgehogs and stoats. The fantastic plant growing season has resulted in a flush of predators. Here’s hoping we got enough. Have a great week! Rosalie |
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