Sunday 26th February 2023

the last 2 chicks before they headed to soft release

​The week started out hot and dry. I went for a walk down the hill on Sunday morning and found a beached juvenile. I brought it in. Then I went to feed the chicks in soft release at the Moeraki colony. There was a dead Tawaki on the sand. I brought it home and took some blood from it. It had died of Malaria.

malaria infested blood

​On Monday I cut most of the top of the macrocarpa hedge. I had to follow my own rule for a change and stop when a battery was used up. I still smile when I think of getting it done! 

time to go

​Tuesday was the day for our monitoring rounds. There are only 4 chicks left to fledge so we weighed them all. We also picked up 3 underweight moulters. 

forest blossom

​In the afternoon I drove down to Dunedin to collect the adult penguin with serious leg injuries. It is well on the way to recovery after several surgeries to repair the damage. On Tuesday night we got 30mm of rain. The drought is over.

ready to head south

​It rained on Wednesday, so I watched the Kapa haka on TV in the afternoon. By Thursday it was down to showers and so we got the rounds done without getting too wet. We picked up Mrs 80 who was waiting for us on the path. We also brought in Mr and Mrs 157 who were underweight going into the moult. We took the last 2 chicks in rehab to the soft release pen. In the afternoon I went to the Bluffs and met Bronwyn there. We took the side by side to Kawariki Bay and released the moulter there from soft release. She already had the attention of a 7.7Kg moulter!

I have finished cutting the macrocarpa hedge. It is 2.7m tall and 22m long. The power supply will be safe for another few years!

Yesterday, 2 more Hoiho came in to care which makes 7 arrivals this week. Today I will release the 3 Tawaki.
Have a great week!
Rosalie