Sunday 4th February 2024

4 of the 8 chicks creching in the colony

​Hello friends and family,
Our fun in the sun continues. On Monday I took Dave to visit some local spots, including the Boulders, and the team came out on Tuesday to do the chick weighing here. The chicks will fledge in the next few weeks, so it is time to measure their heads. This is to get an indication of gender. We could not find 2 of the chicks, Chick 42 has been missing for 2 weeks, chick 90 was seen in the weekend. 

ready to run

​On Wednesday Dave and I went to Oamaru in the morning to stock up on essentials and went via Kakanui to show Dave the coastline. We got home in time to get a message that we needed to drop a parcel off in Palmerston, so took the opportunity to visit Anderson’s lagoon – no needy penguins, but a nice flock of Spoonbills!

Spoonbills with pied stilts in front

​Thursday was the turn of the Okahau chicks to be weighed and measured. The chicks are holding their weights rather than getting heavier. I went down after dinner to look for Chick 42 again and found him where he used to be. His mum was faded and scrawny – she would be lucky to tip the scales at 4kgs. I brought the chick in to give her a chance.

​Friday and Saturday were ruled by the weather. It was wet on Friday and windy on Saturday. Jan came out and helped with the afternoon feeding and locking the gate. On Friday night at about 11pm, a group of 4 young men came out in a souped-up saloon and did damage to the entrance way. Patrick was on to it, and it was all soon repaired. We heard the perpetrators, but the guy next door, rabbit shooting, saw them.

first juvie well into the moult

We have 28 penguins in care. The first of the chicks will be going to soft release this week.
Have a great week!
Rosalie