Sunday 13th December 2020

learning to control those big feet!

​Hello friends and family
Tuesday was a great day. We started the micro-chipping at this colony and the chicks were looking fabulous. The first nest has gone post-guard, so the chicks were home alone. Some them have moved to a different nest box so it can be exciting to find them looking healthy, but not where we expect them to be. We have a number that are just under the expected weight and put it down to the impact of Diphtheria, so the weekly weight monitoring is paying off.

gull chicks at all stages of growth

​The wee chick getting supplementary feeding at the nest has doubled its weight and one of the big ones has tested positive for Malaria. It is also being treated with Malarone at the nest.

the plasmodium lurking in the blood.

​Thursday was another cracker with sunshine and Dom cooked hamburgers for the team for lunch. Yum! A few more of our chicks tested positive for Malaria so treatment will start next week when the results are confirmed by the university.

picture perfect!

​Thursday was also the day when we received the total nest numbers through the media.
Breeding pair numbers:

• Banks Peninsula – 3
• North Otago – 47
• Otago Peninsula – 76
• Catlins – 55
• Rakiura – 39

In the 1991 YEP management plan, the goal was 500 nests on the sub-Antarctic islands, 500 on Rakiura and 500 on the mainland. 20 years later, I think our score is a FAIL. The path to extinction is littered with glossy pamphlets and noble words!

Lunchtime at the lighthouse

Hiltrun and Trii came up on Saturday and we braved the wind gusts to monitor the chicks and Hiltrun did some weed whacking while Trii watered the plants.
Have a great week
Rosalie 
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