PENGUIN RESCUE NZ
Te whaka oraka o te takaraka
Weekly news
From the Sanctuary Manager, Rosalie Goldsworthy MNZM
rosaliegoldsworthy@gmail.com
rosaliegoldsworthy@gmail.com
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 fresh out of the morning shower Hello friends and family This week the team focus was on the 70-day-old blood screening of the chicks. We did Katiki Point colony on Tuesday morning and were concerned to see some chicks losing weight. We brought one into care that had lost 700g and have a plan for intervention should the pattern continue.  The heron is now free. On Monday, Dan and I climbed to the top of the hill at Trotter’s Gorge. The last 50 m was rock climbing – not my area of confidence but I did it anyway! By Tuesday afternoon we had 9 chicks in care. On Wednesday I released a pair of heron chicks that had been orphaned when their tree was cut down. I put them in a sheltered place so they don’t have to contend with coastal breezes.  how to be taller than the baby The team was ready for action again on Thursday and so we did the blood screening at the Moeraki colony. This resulted in one new chick in care that had lost weight. The weather was glorious, and the team saw around 8 Hector’s dolphins off the island.  finding enough shade After setting the blood slides and freezing the samples, Dan and I headed south. We had dinner at the Ironic café and I dropped Dan off at the airport. To make this easy, Robbie came and fed the hospital chicks. It was 27 degrees at the Dunedin airport – I do appreciate our sea breeze that kept us to 20 degrees.  Home from the plane window, by Dan Yesterday I got a call about a stranded penguin on the beach down the hill. "There is a little penguin on the beach below the stockades, there are people drinking in the carpark and their kids are down here throwing rocks at the seas lions!" I explained I could help with the penguin, but the rest was beyond my control!  Jan's Pohutukawa in full bloom Have a great week! Rosalie   The family is on the move under the watchful eye of a parent Hello friends and family The week began with a quick trip to the Dunedin Wildlife hospital with a chick that had a hot foot. Sure enough it was a bone infection and hopefully we caught it in time. At the same time, I picked up our female and she was very pleased to get home and see her partner again.  Glorious Pohutukawa The team completed the micro-chipping in this colony on Tuesday so we only have 2 chicks left in the field to microchip on Thursday.  A younger, still fluffy pair of chicks The team completed the micro-chipping in this colony on Tuesday so we only have 2 chicks left in the field to microchip on Thursday.  mixed cropping in the garden No surprizes – one pair of chicks had lost 1kg in a week so they came in. We don’t know why their parents have stopped feeding them. It does happen but it is good to know that both parents are alive. Then we picked up 3 chicks that had reached 70 days old and had new parents. They have done a great job, but 2 of them had lost 300g in 2 days.  Feeling the heat By Friday afternoon, 3 of the 5 were feeding from the hand. It is a juggling act between fear and hunger. They have never seen a fish before, but we are patient with them until it all works out.  It is cooler in the shade Hiltrun came up yesterday and did the rounds. All chicks in the colonies are doing well. Have a great week Rosalie  all chipped and weighed Hello friends and family Summer is here and it is great to have open windows and no flies. On Tuesday we were joined by Patrick and began micro-chipping the chicks. They are so close to creching that it is timely. Many are over 5Kg and rapidly losing their fluff.  oh, so grown up! Penguin chick fluff is interesting stuff. It seems to be able to defy gravity and have special magnetic properties. The outcome is that we get fluff in our mouths, noses and everywhere else. It surfaces for the rest of the day and washing only makes it cling on more. Fortunately, by next year, we will have forgotten.  pair bonding Wednesday was our day to go to town in the morning. It was very warm and glaring so in the afternoon we went for a walk in the Herbert forest. The tui calls were amazing and we saw a bellbird and 2 robins.  trying to look bigger than the chick On Thursday, micro-chipping the chicks in the Moeraki colony was our focus. We did 17 of them in short order. The heaviest was 5.9 kgs. One hid from us and we had to go back to find it. Robbie moved the webcam back to the path so there will be more to see there.  the seal pups are creching Friday was a quiet one as we got ready for our weekend break. We were on the road by 8 am and off to Wanaka. First stop was morning tea with Walter and Therese in Clyde. We were greeted by them and their quails, tuis and bellbirds.  much admired Then it was off to the orchard in Cromwell and then Wanaka. The generous Judge let us stay in their Wanaka house so we were able to spend the afternoon enjoying the lakeside and the magnificent trees in the area. We had take-aways on the deck for dinner and then an early night so we could be up early to climb Roy’s peak.  Stunning beauty all around Dan and I reached the car park at 5:40am and made our way to the famous photo spot about 1 km before the summit. As we arrived, clouds rolled in – maybe a sign that we should go back? I rested there while Dan did the summit.  I made it! This morning I am fine, but he is stiff and sore! Have a great week Rosalie  Happy New Year Happy New Year friends and family I enjoyed my Christmas day, visiting Anderson’s Lagoon and Jan in the morning and then just chilling in the afternoon. The weather was glorious, and I always enjoy catching up with Dot and the family.  what do I do next? On Monday morning I uplifted the chick that I had been feeding at the nest for 6 days and discovered that it had not been putting on weight in that time – I was the only one feeding it!  getting that fluff under control I brought it in then, for company for the young chick that came down from Christchurch. They both spend most of their time sleeping. So far, so good. On Tuesday Robbie and I did the rounds and neither of the parents were home – they were probably both hungry.  nearly as big as mum! All went well for the rounds on Thursday, and I picked Dan up from the bus in the afternoon. On Friday we dressed the front windows in the lounge. Last night we went to the tavern for tea and puppysat Roxy, Jan’s dog, who has taken a shine to Dan.  ready for sunshine and flies! Today we will go to the Bluffs and cut the vines off at least one tree! Happy New Year Rosalie  southern Rata for christmas Merry Christmas friends and family. What a turbulent year it has been both for the planet and the penguins. There have been highs – the purchase of the Bluffs by the Judges for conservation – and lows – 30+ dead chicks.  I believe I can fly But we will carry on this work with a strong sense of privilege to be working with such awesome birds.  even the neighbors are gorgeous Here is some eye candy for you to brighten up your Christmas.  catching up fast There is always more on our YouTube channel. Why not subscribe – it is free, and you can help us reach 1000 viewers.  another over achiever Merry Christmas  the climbing lessons continue Rosalie  proud parent Hello friends and family I am continuing with my mission to get all the seedlings potted up ready to sit over summer and only need watering. The weather has been great for this – the garden is sheltered from the wind so is a pleasant place to work.  first climbing lesson We weighed the Katiki chicks on Tuesday and they are all making good progress. At the nest that had blood the previous week, the chick had a puncture wound on its head. It is doing fine, but we have put a camera out and a trap nearby. The Kawariki chicks have caught up and so no longer need supplementary feeding.  cuteness overload More dramas on Thursday! The chicks are now coming out of their boxes which is much kinder on the nose, but one of the younger chicks was post-guard. Sometimes new parents do miscommunicate and both parents go fishing but it is not safe for the chick. We were very pleased when they finally came home. It was also a day of non-parent penguins to stay home and check out the neighbourhood to see if any new penguins have turned up.  Just hanging about On Saturday, Jan and I weighed the chick with the puncture wound and he has not gained any weight. I will start supplementary feeding him today. Have a great week Rosalie  on his first adventure Hello friends and family This has been a week full of drama! On Sunday I visited the Bluffs nest and took a video. What it showed was that the mum had an eye injury. I went to pick her up, but she was not at home. On Monday Jan, Robbie and I went back and there she was, so we picked her up – only 4.25Kg so not able to continue with parenting duties. We uplifted her and the chicks, she went to the Wildlife hospital and the chicks went to nest 49.  cute and fluffy The parents in 49 were still in the incubation phase so being presented with 2 3-week-old chicks was a big surprize. They coped but needed help feeding for a few days. Both chicks were underweight, so there was no room for risk so I fed them at the nest. Three feeds a day for 2 days, 2 feeds a day for 2 days, 1 feed a day for 2 days and wait and see.  scruffy but doing okay On Tuesday when we did the rounds, we found blood in front of a nest. The reason is still a mystery, but we did a thorough check. Then we found the youngest chicks had had a relapse of Diphtheria, so they are being treated for that.  our first totara seedling Thank goodness, Thursday’s round produced no new problems. Sadly, on Friday morning, there was another dead chick. Yesterday Hiltrun came up and took it back to the Dunedin Wildlife Hospital for an autopsy. We have 46 chicks left.  how cute are these swallow chicks? Summer has arrived, and it has been a tee shirt weekend. Long may it last!  Chicks doing what they do best - sleeping! Have a great week! Rosalie  getting bigger by the day - look at those feet! Hello friends and family Well, the chicks kept on dying. We found 2 that had died on Sunday. It was very depressing. On Tuesday we got in a clear round so felt a bit better. In the afternoon, a researcher from Alaska visited with her family. While she was talking to me, her family were in the car park and met a young French couple who had their key break in the lock of their Jucy van.  French selfie The company was very unhelpful – saying that it would cost $700 to help them which was ridiculous. In the end, they stayed the night, and I took them to Oamaru in the morning where they got a new key cut for $10.  a new pup On Thursday we had another clear round and now all but 6 chicks are out of the high danger zone. Max and Madeline from the Council joined us to check out the new fence and catch up with our projects. We were also pleased to see the first of this season’s new seal pups.  more spring colour The weather has been very kind with sunny mornings and any rain coming in after 4 pm. I have had no trouble keeping up with the laundry which makes for an easy time.  doing a great job with tatty flippers Hiltrun came up yesterday with Elke and Trii. They helped with the potting up in the morning and did weed control at the Moeraki colony in the afternoon. Thank you all.  an adventurous pup! Have a great week! Rosalie |
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