Sunday 14th February 2016.

Hello friends and family
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King of the castle, in the moult.

​Chris, Tobi and I have had a week of working through lists of tasks to try and reduce the backlog of things that we need to get done. There has been trimming, planting, searching and feeding happening every day. We are preparing for the penguins to begin moulting. At this time, they need to use as little energy as possible to get through 3 + weeks of fasting and no water while they grow their new feathers. 

Chicks nearly ready to fledge.

​The first of our hospital penguin chicks are ready to fledge. We have 15 in care for a number of reasons and now they will slowly leave so the reserves will become quiet. We are weighing the wild chicks again at 100 days to be sure that they are fine and that their micro-chips are working properly. Their heads are being re-measured to see if they have grown.

Spoonbills at their nests.

​The weather has been great – too hot at times but little wind and warm. Not warm enough for me to go swimming! The gull and shag chicks have fledged and can be seen all over the place. Joe came and shot another 80+ rabbits which certainly helps with that problem. They have ring – barked my lemon trees and destroyed the runner beans. We enjoyed our first feed of home grown potatoes and broccoli. The courgettes are producing well – just as long as I don’t pick them too quickly. 

Tobi riding in style.

On Wednesday it was my day at the Top Tip shop and Chris and Tobi did the seal pup count. The preliminary view is that the numbers of pups are down from last season.

Swallow taking in the view.

​Friday was our town day and I picked up a fledgling sparrow to grow on until it can fend for itself. There are lots of young birds about and it is a treat to see them.

The empty front coming up from the south

There was one cold front promised – it rolled in with impressive style but failed to deliver any rain.
Have a great week!
Rosalie
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