Sunday 8th August 2021

Penguins can be secretive

​Hello friends and family
On Sunday I picked up another wee penguin who needs help. Elaine came out in the afternoon and so her blood sample was able to be checked at the university on Tuesday. On Monday I prepared the gear for planting 10 trees on Tuesday, so the job only took a few minutes. There were no penguins at home on Tuesday when we did the rounds. The cameras are only catching a handful of penguins coming home.

Kakabeak

​Wednesday was my day for the Toptip. I do enjoy catching up with the locals who support the shop so well. We planted another 16 plants on Thursday.
Yesterday was the annual symposium for Yellow-eyed penguins, held at the university in Dunedin. The morning involves reports from the field staff and Hiltrun delivered our report very proficiently. It was almost as if some of the audience actually listened this season, but of course I always think that!

A spotted shag in full breeding plumage

​A co-leader of the governance group gave us an update on where things stand and made it clear that we had to follow the plan or there would be no resourcing at a national level. I spoke to her later and explained that their failure to acknowledge our existence means we do not get DOC funding.  
The people are all very nice but there is a disconnect. Most of our team members spoke out in frustration and so the 37th YEP symposium is now over.

Is it a penguin? No it is an Otago Shag

Have a great week!
Rosalie

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