Sunday 12th November 2023

a wee miracle

​Hello friends and family
The roller coaster ride continues. We took chicks down to DWH on Sunday and Monday, bringing the first two back on Monday. They settled well back into their nests and on Tuesday, we had no trip to Dunedin as no chicks were ready in either direction. Of course, that changed when we found two weak chicks in a nest. Tuesday was Amy’s last day and she delivered them on her way south. We were very lucky to have her help as we got our routines established. Thank you, Amy.

Robbie, Murray, Jan and Amy process chicks for delivery to Dunedin

​By Thursday, all the chicks from the Moeraki colony had been uplifted and returns were outnumbering deliveries. We had to split the first chick pair that returned on different days as one chick put on 250g in one day, while the other made no weight gain. At this stage we have a lot of flexibility as most penguins are sitting on dummy eggs.

the cabbage trees almost overwhelm the penguin smell

​The great news for Thursday was that both chicks at Kawariki Bay are alive. This was the first pair of eggs abandoned. With the use of dummy eggs, we were able to get the parents back incubating and return the real eggs for them to hatch. The other abandoned pair will stay with their foster parents as we have not seen dad again. 

stay away from my baby!

​It was my turn to be the driver down to Dunedin yesterday. Bronwyn and I delivered 4 chicks and brought back 6 chicks. It was a glorious, sunny day and great to be out there. Some of the chicks that we are bringing back have developed mild diphtheria and require a mouthwash. This requires very close monitoring and so the days are getting long. 

flowers everywhere

The team are in great spirits, knowing that this is a marathon, not a sprint.
Have a great week!
Rosalie