Penguin Rescue Update

the new season is underway

Hello friends and family
Jan came out on Sunday, and we did the rounds. We found new eggs and after a week of egg laying, the colonies are about halfway through the lay. Jan plans to join me on the rounds in the weekends, which is great.

A Tui adds to the hum of the bees

​I got up early on Monday morning and saw the solar eclipse. Unfortunately, I could not get a photo as even 2 pairs of sunglasses were not enough of a filter! We did the rounds on Tuesday morning, beating the rain and were very pleased to get 8mm as the place is drying out fast.

The gulls are back

​Wednesday was my day at the Toptip, and I got a chance to thank Rachel from the Hampden Community Energy committee for their support of Penguin Rescue by funding 3 new smart traps. It was busy all morning and the time flew by.

interesting family dynamic

​Murray and I did the rounds on Thursday morning and found another 2 nests. This took the total to 25, which I reported to the Pre-season meeting at DOC in Dunedin, in the afternoon.
It was good to catch up with the Hoiho people and be updated on new initiatives. It was also great to receive 3 new trail cameras to monitor nests with. 

A juvenile heading out to go fishing

​We now have 29 nests. This should be a time of celebration but in usual form, we do focus on the gap. At both the Bluffs and Okahau, the colonies have held their own. Here we still have 2 missing pairs and one more yet to lay. Last season we had 36 nests – a drop of 10% from the year before – our goal is 33 this year to be at least holding on.

A brand new family

Have a great week!
Rosalie