Sunday 22nd January 2023

fresh out of the morning shower

Hello friends and family
This week the team focus was on the 70-day-old blood screening of the chicks. We did Katiki Point colony on Tuesday morning and were concerned to see some chicks losing weight. We brought one into care that had lost 700g and have a plan for intervention should the pattern continue. 

The heron is now free.

​On Monday, Dan and I climbed to the top of the hill at Trotter’s Gorge. The last 50 m was rock climbing – not my area of confidence but I did it anyway!
 By Tuesday afternoon we had 9 chicks in care. On Wednesday I released a pair of heron chicks that had been orphaned when their tree was cut down. I put them in a sheltered place so they don’t have to contend with coastal breezes. 

how to be taller than the baby

The team was ready for action again on Thursday and so we did the blood screening at the Moeraki colony. This resulted in one new chick in care that had lost weight. The weather was glorious, and the team saw around 8 Hector’s dolphins off the island. 

finding enough shade

​After setting the blood slides and freezing the samples, Dan and I headed south. We had dinner at the Ironic café and I dropped Dan off at the airport. To make this easy, Robbie came and fed the hospital chicks. It was 27 degrees at the Dunedin airport – I do appreciate our sea breeze that kept us to 20 degrees. 

Home from the plane window, by Dan

Yesterday I got a call about a stranded penguin on the beach down the hill. "There is a little penguin on the beach below the stockades, there are people drinking in the carpark and their kids are down here throwing rocks at the seas lions!"
I explained I could help with the penguin, but the rest was beyond my control!

Jan's Pohutukawa in full bloom

Have a great week!
Rosalie