 New suits - full of importance Hello friends and family The week started with glorious weather – fine warm days with a light breeze and clear nights. I got motivated and released 7 penguins on Sunday which meant I could clean out one of our enclosures. I chose ‘Robbie’s rehab’ because we had had 3 incidents when penguins escaped from there. The other enclosures have heavy duty wire around them.  The Crested has been released to complete the moult in the wild The team came out on Tuesday and there were no needy penguins here or at Okahau – just one from the Bluffs that needs fish for a while. We were all feeling that we were over the main moulting time. Any more penguins we see that have not completed the moult will be coming into care because the days, when they can fish, are getting shorter. They need time when the moult is complete to get up to fishing speed again.  The seals seek shelter from the waves Wednesday was my turn at the Toptip and after a slow start, things got busy, and Elaine came over so I could go and get Mark and I a coffee. All good.  The Kakabeak is in bloom again On Thursday, the team came out and did the rounds while I hosted a visiting group of overseas students. We got a call from Henry at Oamaru Blue Penguins that there was a dead Hoiho on the beach south of the Moeraki Boulders, so I went and retrieved it. It was a failed fledgling with no micro-chip so I don’t know where it was from.  The wild water is full of sediment The wind and rain arrived at 11am on Thursday and stayed until Saturday morning. I released 5 more penguins on Saturday morning as they were ready. Murray came and took the Bluffs penguin home, so I am down to 15 penguins in care. The rain has returned! Have a great week! Rosalie   Moulting complete - winter holiday begins Hello friends and family Great weather to start the week. The team came out on Tuesday and reminded me how awesome they are. Before we did the rounds, we felt we knew which penguins would be at home and once again the penguins proved us wrong.  Garden abundance We picked up 2 penguins that have almost completed the moult but are too thin to be able to thermoregulate. We also picked up 2 penguins just going into the moult – both have minor injuries and were quite passive. Without great teamwork, some of these penguins would be missed and not survive.  way too thin At feeding time, they lined up with the rest of them for a feed – the first feed is always a small one as their tummies have been resting for a while.  Thursday was a rerun of Tuesday; except we picked up 6 penguins. Another pair that had gone into the moult at a good weight but had just sat around and were fading away. I am releasing at least 2 penguins each day but not making much headway! The weather has been very pleasant.  This person was down the point for over an hour  Someone broke our donation penguin trying to climb over the fence Have a great week! Rosalie   Mrs 18 looked good - not so, only 6.2kgs and doomed without help Hello friends and family Things have not quietened down yet. On Tuesday morning we picked up 11 penguins that were either underweight or marginal. The lightest was only 3.7 kgs, still at home and in trouble.  the 131 pair moulted in the wild We released 2 more that have completed the moult, so we are making progress. I went to Oamaru on Wednesday and had planned to take some awesome autumn photos to share, but was so spoiled for choice, I did not take any.  autumn has been warmer than summer The team came out on Thursday, and we rounded up the last of the breeders down the hill. I was mortified to find that they too were underweight – they took 5 weeks from their chicks fledging to coming in to moult, so I really thought they were all good – not so!  Mr 212 moulted alone. His partner needed help We brought in 7 and released another 2. The penguins that need help make themselves known in several ways. Some crow as they hear us approach, some start to run and others just plonk themselves down on our path. Some head for the bush and try to make their capture interesting.  All moulted - in holiday mode My goal now is to release at least 2 penguins that have completed the moult each day – slowly reducing the total of 38 down to single figures!  Checking out nest boxes for next season Today we have 34 penguins in care. Each day they get fed a total of 240, 15cm salmon smolt. Their appetite varies with their stage of the moult and their personalities. They are demand fed, between a minimum of 2 fish and a maximum of 16 per day. They are released when they have completed the moult. Have a great week! Rosalie   After the moult Hello friends and family After a very cold start to the week, the sun came out on Monday afternoon and the weather looked up from there.  a great night for the eclipse On Tuesday, Jan and Robbie came out and we checked out the next lot of moulters. It was great to see some of the breeding females at respectable weights. Mrs 137, who eluded us last week was heavy enough to leave in the wild. We brought in 3 underweight penguins. The capture and transport process resulted in some feathers falling off, and it was heartbreaking to see how thin the 3 penguins were.  needing help On Wednesday morning, I walked Katiki Beach with Elaine. The erosion there is significant and the penguins have moved to new locations above man-made rock walls. Both regulars have finished moulting and will be enjoying the calmer seas.  Katiki beach below the tide Robbie and Jan came out on Thursday morning, and we targeted known moulters that had eluded us for the last couple of weeks. They too were very thin and came in. In the afternoon, Robbie and I went to the Bluffs and uplifted one penguin from the Bluffs and one from Kawariki Bay.  Not penguins Friday morning was the time for the Hui. It was held at the Marae this time and many issues were progressed so that was a good outcome. On Saturday morning I did a quick check down the hill and the 18 pair are now home. Only footprints to see from the last pair to come home to moult – the 87 pair in Tickle Bay.  rainbow Have a great week! Rosalie   Moult complete - ready to go Hello friends and family Our first successful breeding pair were in to moult on Tuesday – we brought her in at 6.3kg – the rough weather and seas have had an impact on local penguin feeding. There was about 8 unsuccessful pairs at home on Tuesday and we brought in 3 birds – all underweight to be going into the moult.  An underweight moulter The good news was that we took the last 3 chicks to soft release and 2 of the crested penguins are now swimming free in the ocean. I am so grateful that we have rooves over all our aviaries as the number of drones flying over my house has got ridiculous. The penguins cannot be seen and cannot see the drones which would be very stressful for them.  Looking fabulous Wednesday was a glorious summer day. I was on Toptip in the morning and fed the soft release chicks in the afternoon. It was so nice I went for a walk after dinner.  Free at last! Thursday was wet and cooler. Jan and Robbie came out and were well in the mood to check the penguins. We must give the star performance to the birds from O140. They raised 2 chicks and were both over 8Kg when we weighed them. We weighed another 5 males over 8 Kg, which was very reassuring, given our concerns about the food supply for the penguins in the ocean.  One fat, one not - the pattern of the season We brought in 4 breeding females, all weighing a little over 6 Kg. We will care for them through the moult and then release them. A few eluded us, but we can try again on Tuesday. We looked like mud babies at the end of the morning. The last of the chicks fledged on Friday and I took 2 more juvies that had completed their moult and released them at Okahau.  getting oriented Summer ended on a high with a blue sky and warmth with no wind. We love it, the penguins not so much. Have a great week! Rosalie  |
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