 The eggs are arriving! Hello friends and family What exciting times! By Tuesday we had 11 nests and the first penguin had laid her second egg. It has been sunny and breezy, so it is very tempting to get on with the planting and other gardening jobs, but the wise ones wait another month.  The rare native broom is flowering The Titi are back. We had a young helper on Tuesday and Wednesday called Kim and on Tuesday night, he and I went down the hill to welcome the Titi home. We heard them and smelt them, but no luck with seeing them. Kim was rewarded the next day by seeing a Sperm Whale in close.  Looking guilty On Thursday we had 16 nests, 2 with 2 eggs. The sun shone and other than wandering penguins, all was wonderful. Nothing metal lasts long in the salty air and the mesh we put on the fence to stop the penguins from accessing the historic reserve has rusted. We have done many repairs, but the penguins are inventive and are now finding a way through. Visitors arrive and the penguins attempt to escape, ending up trapped on the wrong side of the fence.  Titi footprints in front of newly scratched out burrow On Saturday we were up to 28 nests here and 2 more at our other sites. What a blessing! Despite the forecast, the weather was fine and hot. The brilliant green of the landscape will quickly fade if it continues. Have a great week! Rosalie   Waiting, waiting, waiting.... Hello friends and family The unsettled spring weather brought us warm / sunny / thunderstorms /cold. The penguins don’t care. What they are after is a home and their definition of such has as much to do with the neighbours as the location. We have had fighting and skiting.  Spring beauty abounds On Tuesday morning, Patrick woke me because he had come out to open the gate and a pair of penguins had decided that the entrance way would be the perfect nesting site. They had chosen a corner and started nest building. We made them leave and blocked their access, so they won’t come back. I am hopeful that they will find another spot and not give up on the idea.  We want a big nest box! While doing the rounds at the Moeraki colony, we found an underweight juvenile. It was raised in the area but came from Aramoana. It has a sore throat and needs help. It is in the right place!  Burst white blood cells (dyed pink) On Wednesday, Elaine and I slipped away for a mini break, to further tempt fate and it worked! On Thursday we got our first egg of the season. How joyful is that! Seeing each breeding female return gladdens our hearts and the first egg is the beginning of the new season.  Empty car parks on the Wanaka foreshore Our holiday was first class. We stayed at Queensberry and walked past Diamond Lake to the Lake Wanaka lookout. On the way home, we caught up with Walter, Therese, and Paul at Clyde.  Beautiful Lake Wanaka Yesterday, we found another egg and two more breeding pairs – Happy days! Have a great week Rosalie  A new pair, sharing joy with the world Hello friends and family Excitement continues as more and more penguins show an interest in breeding. On Tuesday we identified a couple of penguins that have not been breeders before, in nests getting into the action. It was a glorious morning. but the weather turned wintery in the afternoon, so we were very fortunate to enjoy sunshine on the morning. We were able to walk some of the beach that the team had not walked before. The colours were amazing, and the wave action has worn the rocks into smooth curves.  Spring has sprung On Wednesday, the weather was so bad I cleaned out the fridge, but Thursday morning was pleasant enough and so doing the monitoring round was a pleasure. More penguins at home, and some wife-swaps are happening. At this time of the season, the noblest personal trait is patience. Seeing all of the southern females return, make this a lot easier.  Just a glimpse is enough Yesterday we did the rounds and observed another pair here and 2 more at the Moeraki colony that have returned to breed. This means that we have seen 2/3 of our females returned.  A young Kowhai we planted, showing promise Two pairs are thinking about nesting under a flax bush. Let’s hope that this spring rain persuades them to shift into a nice, dry nesting box! Have a great week! Rosalie  So what! I have a skinny friend. Hello friends and family The penguins are showing an interest in the nests so on Tuesday when we did the rounds, we began our twin recording system – electronic and written. It took us a while to get the hang of it, but soon we will all be able to enter the data with confidence. We have all the nest boxes and last season’s penguins already loaded into the app – we just need to add new penguins and of course, welcome back the old ones!  Mr and Mrs 207 are at home. By Thursday there were even more penguins at home, warming up their nest bowls and looking very relaxed.  beautiful Kakabeak We had a couple of days with a cold wind and then it warmed up enough for me to put the Varroa treatment strips into the beehives. I am down to 2 hives, having lost 2 over winter. I will be clearing all the old boxes out of the shed and cutting the bee work right back. I am also thinking about giving up on Capsicums in the hothouse as they always get white-fly and I do prefer the sweeter bought ones.  The Shags have laid their eggs This will free up space for native seedlings. I have collected seeds from Cabbage trees, native irises and Pohutukawa. I am also going to plant some Manuka seeds. On Wednesday I potted up 30 Kowhai seedlings and on Friday, 16 Kakabeaks.  brand new! Yesterday was wonderful – the sun shone and there were lots of penguins at home. We have activity at 31 nests down the hill and 14 at the Moeraki colony. My apprehension has turned to excitement! Have a great week! Rosalie |
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