 Happy New Year Hello friends and family Summer has arrived and by heading north, I missed the rain down here and was able to spend some quality time with my family which was a fabulous treat for me.  The chicks are growing fast Dan held the fort here, feeding the 2 chicks in care and keeping the trap line operating. When I got home, the storm had passed so we could do the monitoring and weighing without raincoats.  Tree climbing lessons continue We now have 3 chicks and 2 juveniles in care.  learning control of those big feet The challenges that the penguins face just keep mounting up. Too many of the chicks have died already and our nest numbers dropped by 10%. There are only a handful of returning juveniles and any we see will be brought into care until they moult. The first current inpatient has a digestive upset making him reluctant to eat. It is improving.  I see you! 2025 holds new challenges for the penguins. The predicted marine heatwave will affect the whole coastline in February which means the chicks will fledge into a food shortage. One option is to hold the ones in care until the end of the month when the heatwave is predicted to ease on this coast. The adults will stay loyal to their colony so we can uplift them if required. We have done this before, and our awesome team will do it again if that is what is needed. Best wishes for the New Year. May 2025 be the year of the penguin! Rosalie   Season's greetings. The Southern Rata celebrates life. Hello friends and family What with the Bird flu across the bay happening, we chose to not handle the chicks for a week, and it was great to find that they had all practically doubled their body weight in the last fortnight. These babies were well behind, but they are beginning to catch up. The heaviest weighed in at 3 kg.  What's not to love! We have had some warm days for this time of the year so doing the rounds is a pleasure. On Thursday, the very last chick to be weighed was well down and so we decided that the best option was for it to go to the wildlife hospital. This chick was more than 10km from the bird flu zone, so it was not risky to take it there. DOC had already advised us that we could move penguins if necessary.  The Oyster catchers are proud parents This is the time of the year to reflect on 2024 and acknowledge how important your support is to us and therefore, the penguins. Thank you.  We helped Dr Mel celebrate her PHD. We have taken a beating. 4 nests down (10%) and half of the chicks dying is tough. Add to that the ‘unwelcome’ sign hanging over our facilities and the penguins, nasty November has brought us to a new low.  A tour group chases the seals off the point and into the water There have been good things – support from the Otago regional council, Alpine Salmon and our regular sponsors has kept us going. It has been a wonderful growing season for all the trees, both new and old. We remain dedicated to saving penguins, Hoiho in particular – the bird of the year.  A Juvenile penguin taking a day off, looking fabulous Have a great week! Rosalie  the gulls are making up for a poor season last year Hello friends and family On Sunday I got the anonymous call – bird flu on a local poultry farm. This was confirmed in the press on Monday. A highly pathogenic strand, but not the H5N1 that has crossed to mammals and caused numerous bird deaths around the world. It is in fact, the poultry farm that I can see out my kitchen window. 3Km away.  the youngest chicks are growing well On Tuesday morning the team came out and we made some short-term plans. I had seen the fitting Black-backed gull last week and am not convinced that the flu has not reached the wildlife.  furry babies Fortunately, we are well prepared for this. With the support of the local community, we have been able to purchase the requirements and practice using them. The next two weeks will be critical.  even the sky is up for a bit of drama On Thursday afternoon, representatives from Ngai Tahu came and explained that they did not want this house and so I must remove it. They are not planning to continue penguin conservation on this site, so we will have to move somewhere else. This will not happen quickly, so there is no need for panic.  The older chicks are looking better Robbie and I attended the Hui on Friday morning. DOC have begun the process of creating a management plan for this site for when the other bird flu gets here. The longest journeys start with the first step.  Taking time out Have a great week! Rosalie  This blue-eyed baby is recovering well. Hello friends and family Slowly we are emerging from the dark days of chick death and able to enjoy the monitoring rounds as the chicks regain their health.  The Manuka are loving the spring weather After several online sessions with Dan, I was able to submit our application for the DOC community fund on Monday night to free up the rest of the week for other things.  The Oyster-catchers have 3 eggs The team came out on Tuesday morning and we split up to do the rounds to keep the number of people at the nests small. The threatening rain held off, so it was a pleasure to be outside. I saw my first seal pup of the season.  An ambitious, Red-billed gull with 4 eggs On Wednesday, when I checked the reserves, I saw a Black-backed Gull having a fit on the rocks. It had attracted the attention of other gulls. I stayed well clear and when I went back to check, the tide had come in and there was nothing there. On Thursday we welcomed Max, Holly and Chelsea from the Council. We already had Debbie from BBC wildlife magazine, so there was 13 of us. We split into 3 groups and went off to each reserve to check Black-backed Gull health and of course, the penguins!  parental protection By then the seal pup had friends. I joined the team at the Tavern for tea to farewell the 2 American volunteers.  No chicks mean free time On Friday and yesterday, the sun came out. With only a light breeze, the weather is glorious. Welcome to summer. Have a great week Rosalie |
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