 The penguins are in good condition to begin breeding this season. Hello friends and family. The first Yellow-eyed penguin egg for the season has been laid. It was laid in our northern- most nest and arrived on 15th September. This is the beginning of a whole new chapter in penguin history. The others are still waiting so it becomes an exercise in patience for the penguins and for us!  On of the few Little penguins breeding here so far this season. This week brought us our first mild weather and with temperatures over 12 degrees it felt very spring like. On Tuesday Chris, Hiltrun and I went to visit Janice, then on to Oamaru where Hiltrun and I met up with Phillipa from the Oamaru Blue Penguin Colony and had a drink at Portside while Chris counted the Stewart Island Shags that have taken to nesting on Sumter Wharf. It may well be their largest colony! There are none nesting at Okahau Point this year – only the Spotted Shags are working on breeding here.  Spotted Shags in breeding finery. The bees are active in the garden and on Wednesday, I shifted a hive to a friend’s place in Hampden. This was a first, and when I wanted to secure the hive with a hive strap, I could not make it work. In the end I used some other straps and the whole event went well, with the bees settling fast and I hope they do well there.  Honey bees on plum blossom for the first time here. All is not well in paradise and the seal pups continue to die. It is hard to walk past them, knowing that there is nothing that I can do to save them.  Frail pup too weak to suckle. Nature will get a chance to try again in December when the new pups are born.
Have a great week! Rosalie Hello friends and family On Monday I took a trip back to Dunedin and got the stitches out of the wound on my head. This was another step forward for me and so by Wednesday I felt fit to do a round of bee work.  Yellow-eyed penguin nest building. The task was to put in the Varroa strips and assess the overall state of the apiaries. Once again, the hardest thing for me is to get the smoker to operate, and as usual, I give up on it and just cope with angry bees. This is very fine out in the field, as I upset them and then drive off. Not so easy to manage the hive here at home. My job today was to split it into 2 hives, as well as treat the Varroa, which was not welcomed at all by the bees.  One beehive has become two. To cut a long story short, I ended up with about 30 angry bees in the kitchen, a problem that I managed to solve without getting stung, thank goodness for that! Some hives did not survive the icy winter and so I am now down to 18 hives. My plan is to build them up to maybe 25 this season.  Another southerly front on the horizon. The other bonus this week was the completion of my shed at Hampden. I have asked the Council for the final inspection so will be pleased when that is done.  A fine looking shed, all built! Spring is slowly arriving and the penguins are taking an active interest in the nest boxes. We expect egg laying to begin in about a week so that will be very exciting.  Maybe this will be my home. Have a great week
Rosalie  penguin pair checking nest for comfort. Hello friends and family On Sunday I headed down to stay overnight at Chris and Hiltrun’s place so I could get to the Dunedin hospital in time for my 10am appointment on Monday morning easily. I required surgery in the day ward and got home about 3:30pm.  Bud burst in the garden. I have had a quiet week recuperating, swallowing pills and feeling grateful for the dismal weather as I can’t do much anyway. We did manage a check of the penguin colonies and they are moving away from the landing areas and into the nest boxes. Things are looking fine for this stage of the season.  Spotted Shag in breeding finery. In theory, this would be a great time to do some spring cleaning. I have started with my document files and lost enthusiasm!  Red Poll in breeding finery. Signs of spring are everywhere and I am enjoying them very much.
Have a great week! Rosalie |
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