Sunday 24th January

as big as mum! - note mum is still in good condition

​On Sunday night we got 27 mm of rain and Monday dawned fine and sunny. By mid-afternoon it was cold and wet. The joys of a southern summer! On Tuesday the team did the rounds. Daniel checked out a sheep app which may well work for us when monitoring the penguins. On Wednesday Daniel went surfing and I walked the coast. There were no struggling penguins. It rained again in the afternoon – currently we are getting four seasons in one day!

waiting for supper

​On Thursday we brought in 2 penguin chicks (plus one sibling that was not thriving) that had tested positive for Malaria through a process called PCR and released 3 adults that had recovered from their injuries. We now have several penguin chicks that are over 6 Kg in the colonies, and some that still have parents at home, guarding them. 

a rescued little owl getting flight time in the aviary

​The ocean north of Moeraki is very dirty, but here on the headland it looks just great. In the afternoon, we went to the bluffs and set 4 penguin houses in place. This is to provide shelter for moulting penguins, the first of which we have seen this week. 

count the pups!

Yesterday we began the 90-day health checks. This is where we weigh, measure, and take a blood sample of the chicks for the final time before they fledge. They will leave in about 2 weeks so that gives us time to get the test results back and uplift them if they have Malaria. For most, it is the last time we will handle them until they return as Juveniles. We did 7 chicks and the lightest was 5.9 Kg, the heaviest 6.7 Kg. This has been a great season for the wildlife.
Have a great week
Rosalie
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