Sunday 2nd June 2019

Coming home with full tummies

​Hello friends and family
This has been another quiet week. I started the back hedge on Sunday and then we had light rain so I stopped and will try again later today. Robbie came on Tuesday and we did some track clearing and protected another 20 Cabbage trees, as well as burning a felled Boxthorn.

ready to go! Note the small trees in the foreground

​I went to Oamaru to do the shopping on Wednesday and when I called in to Mitre 10 to order ply and reinforcing for the concrete, they made Penguin Rescue trade customers, so we now get a discount on all purchases there. Jan joined Robbie and I on Thursday and we did the rounds and put out 6 new DOC 200 traps in the colonies. These traps meet the safety standards and are not a risk to non-target species.

Robbie cutting the wire

​After lunch we constructed another 50 tree protectors. Robbie cuts the wire into 1 m lengths, using his grinder.

Jan clipping the circles

​Jan uses netting clips and the applicator tool to close the circles. If we make them any bigger, the sheep will flatten them to eat the plants, yet they leave the 1 m circumference ones alone. We can make 50 in an hour.

one year on and the trees are doing well

On my way home from Oamaru I noticed a smell – dead rat - so I stepped outside my comfort zone and opened the bonnet of the truck. Sitting on top of the motor was a rat’s nest. I was lucky that I did not have a fire! I have not been able to find the dead rat yet. Hopefully it will stop smelling soon.
Have a great week!
Rosalie
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