 Incubation has begun Hello friends and family We have been very lucky to have had about 1 m3 gravel donated to us by the Lighthouse repair men. The challenge is that it is in the drive and needed in the rehab pen. Little and often is my motto so I started shifting it on Sunday – 2 wheelbarrow loads at a time, at which rate, it will take weeks!  Titi footprints in the sand announce their arrival home Monday was wet, so I went to town with Jan and went to the dentist for a check-up and clean - $240 later and I have decided to only go once a year or else change my dentist. We got overalls for the monitoring and I have put our logos on them with Velcro so they can come off for washing.  The Spotted Shags are still laying eggs Tuesday was the day I got my truck back - 2 weeks is a long time to use a borrowed vehicle – thank you Robbie very much, for such a helpful, trusting gesture. This was also the first time this season that we saw signs of the Titi returning.  A seal poses under the rainbow Wednesday was the day of gale force winds, so I stayed close to home and got the garden dug for the carrots and beetroot this season. By Thursday it was only gusty and Jan and I did the monitoring rounds. We found 38 nests with 70 eggs and still hope for more! Robbie worked on the rehab pen. He brought out the timber for the soft release pens and also his saw bench. With that he sawed up the crooked timber to make batons to hold the insect mesh in place. To buy it would have cost $4.63 / m and he made at least 100 m. Wow!  Jan came out on Friday and we checked the little penguins on the island to see how they survived the storm. The first of the chicks have fledged and there are some new eggs.
Yesterday I went north with Chris to count nesting Shags while Hiltrun did the nest round. Our travels took us to the Waitaki River mouth where we had to wade through icy water to reach the Otago Shag roosting spot – the to Boatman’s Harbour to count Spotted Shag nests. Hiltrun found 2 new penguin nests and so now we have 22 here and 18 at the Moeraki colony which is 5 less than last year. Have a great week! Rosalie  Mr 26 is defending his territory from a lonely male who might steal his wife. Hello friends and family The forecast for Monday was awful so the digger driver decided to breach the dam before the rain and came out early in the morning. The first raindrops fell as we were leaving so that was perfect. The 9 mm of rain was great for the new plants as well.  The dam is breached - one less breeding spot for Mosquitoes We did the rounds on Tuesday and planted some trees. The rounds these days include the lambing beat and by Tuesday we had a set of triplets, 4 sets of twins and 2 singles with 3 ewes yet to lamb.  The Karo is in full bloom Chris and Adrian came on Wednesday, so we got more flaxes planted and the gorse cut down. Thursday was a great day with Robbie and Chris building the rehab centre and Jan and I doing the rounds. After we had finished, we went to Doug and Robyn’s farm and collected some more baby native trees.  No Spoonbills on Motiti Island yet, but the Otago Shags are in residence Friday was our day for the pre-season meeting with DOC in Dunedin so off we went with Jan, my truck is still in the garage. It was great that the meeting was in work time and 2 DOC rangers came up from Southland, so we covered the full area. There was still no evident sense of urgency visible to us, but at least we are now having a conversation about protecting penguins from tourists.  Our hill climbing triplets Yesterday Hiltrun, Jan and I did the rounds and we now have 18 nests here and 16 at the Moeraki colony. We also have a new set of twins and only one ewe left to lamb.
Have a great week! Rosalie  A brand new egg has arrived! Hello friends and family This was the week that the truck went into the garage to have its worn transmission repaired so you would think it would have been a quiet one! On Sunday and Monday, I got stuff to where it needed to be before I took the truck to Palmerston. Chris picked me up from there as he came up to make a submission about the flying fox destined for the Oamaru harbour on Tuesday morning. Jan and Robbie did the trap round here on Tuesday morning and in the process, discovered our first Yellow-eyed penguin egg of the season. We also found one at the Moeraki colony, so the new season is underway!  Jan and the Kakapo check each other out Jan and I had planned an excursion to visit Sirocco, the kakapo, on Tuesday evening and what with the action-packed day, only just made it in time for the tour at 6:45 pm and had to eat our pizza dinner cold when we got home. Wednesday was my day at the Top tip and the day our first lamb was born. On Thursday Jan and Robbie came and we did a mosquito and nest check round. We found mosquito casings but no live ones.  3 new lambs arrive! By Friday we had caught 20 mosquitoes in our home-made traps. Poor penguins – stuck at home on eggs and biting bugs abound!  Tiny chick tucked under parent penguin We found Little penguin chicks on Friday and had 3 new lambs added to our flock. Chris and Hiltrun came up and we did a monitoring round on Saturday. We now have 15 YEP eggs and 4 Spotted Shag nests with chicks. Spring has sprung
Have a great week! Rosalie  What do you mean - the little houses are the penguin houses? Hello friends and family The week began quietly. With a stormy forecast, I took the planting gear to the Moeraki colony on Sunday which meant that I could walk there to check the live traps and plant 6 Cabbage trees each day from then on. On Monday I planted a new penguin house and by Tuesday it was occupied! This was not all that random – there was penguin poo in a small valley, so I expected a homeless penguin – problem solved!  Jan planting Cabbage trees! On Tuesday I saw the first lambs on the farm for the season. They looked great and so did their mum. Some of the pregnant sheep are as wide as they are high. By Thursday someone had taken a lamb from its mother and put it in the paddock next to Patrick’s sheep. Only a townee would do such a cruel thing.  wild and dirty seas during the week. On Wednesday I put the Varroa strips into the beehives. While I was doing the very last one, a bee stung me on the end of my nose. It is a while since I have been stung and my face swelled up on one side but by morning it did not hurt anymore. Robbie came on Thursday and cut 50 tree protectors and we planted 18 trees in less than an hour – I think we have the process sussed by now!  This year we will use this box Elaine came on Friday and we saw Malaria plasmodium in penguin blood for the first time – thanks to lots of awesome experts, so willing to share their expertise!  The first lambs on the farm Chris and Hiltrun came up on Friday evening and yesterday we all worked on trees in the paddocks to let the penguins get on with their important preparations for breeding.
Have a great week! Rosalie  Nest site chosen, eggs brewing, life is great Hello friends and family Last Saturday I picked up our first patient for the 2018/19 season. He is a young male with an injured, bleeding flipper but under 5 Kgs so I kept him until yesterday, so he could fatten up a bit. I collected a blood sample, so we could check for Malaria.  The day after a working bee. Sunday was busy with 7 volunteers working for the penguins and progress was made all round! On Monday while Jan and I were doing the trapline, we saw dolphins close in to the shore, heading north quickly, but not so fast that they could not manage a couple of flips.  Some of our supervisors in action Tuesday was quiet and on Wednesday Jan, Robbie and I went for a walk in the Herbert forest and we visited the Waianakarua site for the first time. It is much bigger than I expected, and I see the first step as being fencing off a manageable area. There are serious issues there to challenge restoration, including a herd of goats and rampant hemlock.  Just a few small corners to go! I have begun monitoring standing water for mosquito larvae. At this stage I am not treating any until I find living larvae. I have found dead ones in several places.  Penguins are choosing nest sites at the moment We have finished most of the mosquito proofing of the hospital and now will fix the last issues and turn our attention to the pens both here and for soft release. Yesterday we worked to penguin music in both reserves as the birds called to each other and because spring has sprung!
Have a great week! Rosalie |
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