Sunday 19th May 2019

Having a day off!

​Hello friends and family
After the excitement of the conference last weekend, and a cold front going through, I blobbed on Monday and other than Yoga, stayed home. On Tuesday we had Jules and Trudi visit to discus penguin nest boxes. We walked around both reserves and I explained how we got our penguins into the nest boxes. In the afternoon, David Clark, our local MP called in with his new PA Amy, and we were able to tell him of our grave concerns for penguin welfare after this terrible season. How great is that!

Enjoying the sunshine

​I extracted the miticide strips from the beehives on Wednesday – just as well! Thursday brought a cold southerly and I had another inside day. One of our 2 hospital penguins has tested positive for Malaria after a course of Malarone and so I will start it on a new drug to try and clear the plasmodium from the blood.

beautiful sunset

On Friday I picked up our oldest chick – it had fledged naturally and returned home when it became unwell. Robbie came out and held it for blood sampling. It does not have Malaria but does have an infected foot. Yesterday was very pleasant – 20 degrees C in Oamaru – so I shifted rocks from the Hugo wing. Cleaning it has been a challenge, so we will concrete the floor and put in good drainage.
Have a great week!
Rosalie
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