Penguin Rescue Update

wearing a new suit

​Hello friends and family
Sunday plans were interrupted by a call from Timaru. A Hoiho fledgling had landed on the boat ramp on Saturday night and was still there on Sunday morning. Our trusted friend Peter organised its rescue and I picked it up from Oamaru. It had slash wounds to its foot and weighed only 3.8kg. A quick check of its microchip number showed it was from here, had been in care and then fledged on 18th February. 

buddies

​Like all penguins, it remembered how to feed from the hand and has settled in quickly. I shifted Sunday’s jobs to Monday and began the pruning at Okahau. With a dire weather forecast in place, I checked the penguins then – just as well as Tuesday brought a nasty storm – 15mm of rain and an icy southerly – a good day for inside tasks!

I don't need help thanks!

​Wednesday was Toptip day, and I took a few more treasures to be reused in the community. The morning was cold but sunny – lots of people came and it was a busy morning.

clean air and low sun - natural beauty

​On Thursday the team was treated with sightings of a Kereru and a Juvenile Gannet. The juvenile gannet was with an adult, and they were both fishing around the point. After the rounds here, we split up and got on with monitoring, tree planting and chain sawing at Okahau. There is much to do there, so every working hour makes a difference.

After a cold snap we can see the Otago peninsula from here

Yesterday I took rocks to the Bluffs in the morning and then, after lunch went to Okahau to plant trees and prune. There I found an injured penguin on the beach that I rushed to the wildlife hospital in Dunedin. Today I will be planting trees and pruning at Okahau!
Have a great week!
Rosalie