Sunday 4th December 2016

The chick is big enough to venture out of the nest bowl.

​Hello friends and family
In theory, this is the first week of summer – in practise, it is cold and dull. The plants in the garden are sulking and the beans won’t even sprout.

mid day, mid week in November

​Only one wee chick died this week and so hopefully, the diphtheria outbreak is over. I will keep checking every nest every second day but it is a much more pleasant task now. Of our 51 chicks that have survived, 13 did not get infected (25%) and are the only ones that might still be alive without treatment.

Proud parent

​We had 77 mm of rain in November which counts as wet in these parts! We also had 104 vehicles in the car park after the reserve was closed which is double what we had in October.

And now it is a nursery.

​December is also the month of lists. Weed control is now the main activity in the reserves. Thistles and stinging nettle can block penguin paths in no time so we are working hard to keep the area clear. We also need to prepare for marking the chicks and making sure the team is ready. I must buy more microchips.

The busy Spotted shags on the rock

Nevertheless, there is still some hope that this could be the best season ever.
Have a great week!
Rosalie
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