Sunday 29th May 2022

The Rock hopper has recovered from Avian Malaria

​Hello friends and family
The much-promised bad weather lasted long enough for me to complete my tax return and to cook a bacon and egg pie, but that was about it. On Monday I went to the Bluffs with Murray, and we found penguin sign in a place not seen before. My theory is that the penguins have moved home now that the goats have been removed. We planted some penguin decoys and explored tracks. The one rogue sheep in the paddock treated us with the contempt we deserved and remains where he was.

catching up after a day fishing

​It was just me doing the rounds here on Tuesday and there were no penguins at home, I think they stayed out to avoid the large swells coming in from the south. I spent the afternoon sorting out potting mix.

dancing ocean

​On Wednesday Elaine and I went down to the End of Season meeting in Dunedin to share our learnings and help update the protocols that guide our practice during the season. There was vigorous debate and the meeting lasted over 3 hours. After that we went to lunch and then home. Jan joined Elaine and I on Thursday morning and once again, we did not see any penguins at home. We have started working on nest box upgrades so the penguins have choices when they are ready.

Henry releasing the Rockhopper

​It was great to catch up with Henry from the Antarctic Centre in Christchurch. He came down on Saturday and released the Rockhopper for us. He is the man who sent us 50 boxes of fish when we needed them most. A huge thank you can only be expressed by a penguin experience!

time to go

The rehab is now empty.
Have a great week
Rosalie