Sunday 20th November 2022

precious gifts

​Hello friends and family.
The week began with full on treatment of chicks sick with Diphtheria. Hiltrun stayed over to help again on Sunday. By Monday, we were down to 9 nests being treated and all but 2 nests either hatched or pipping. 

Oystercatcher chicks at Kawariki Bay

​The weather started off hot but then cooled to where it was comfortable in overalls. The volunteers went up to central Otago for the weekend with Jan, to bike some cycle trails, and were hosted by Walter and Theresa.

after the mildest winter in recorded history, Pohutukawa blooming in November

​Tuesday was a good day. No dead chicks and two new foster chicks from Green Island. The parents were super happy to greet their new chicks and for all 3 visits that day, the chicks were safely tucked under the parent. By then we were up to 58 chicks with 2 eggs to go. This was our famous lucky last female who has hatched last ever since she began breeding. 

getting bigger

​The one remaining nest is not expected to hatch so we will hold it for foster chicks.

The gulls are back breeding on the headland

​All went down hill on Thursday. We had 4 dead chicks. One had an air embolism and was euthanized at the Wildlife hospital; one was predated, and the other 2 deaths were consistent with Respiratory Distress disorder. 

Otago shags roosting

By the end of Friday, we were down to only 5 nests to treat which was good news as we had a heavy rain warning for Saturday. The rain has arrived! The plants are growing in front of my eyes. Yesterday our last nest hatched, 3 weeks to the day from the first one. It seems we have been battling to save chicks lives much longer than that!
Have a great week
Rosalie