 Mr. 26 is in charge Hello friends and family This week was off to a cold, wet start so we dodged showers until Wednesday when the cold won out, and I stayed inside to prepare the DOC community fund application. I spent the day cold because I think April is far too early for thermals – the weather is re-inventing itself!  Yes, we have snow on the hills On Tuesday we released the last remaining penguin – the juvenile picked up on Moeraki beach, and of course, got in another. It is Mrs. 165 who had a sore eyelid, so she is back with us until that heals.  Our early Kowhai has excelled itself On Wednesday I sat down to begin the process of applying for the DOC community fund. I would much rather clean up penguin poop, but I can’t complain about the lack of DOC financial support if I don’t apply. I have done so for no good outcome since the system started. Sigh!  not happy about the seal pup on the roof of their nestbox Murray and Robbie came out on Thursday morning and we did the rounds. There were a few penguins at home which was great to see. On Friday I got a call about a little penguin on Waianakarua Beach. That got me out of the place and I enjoyed the drive. The penguin was dead, so beyond my skill set.  Somehow, old rotten boxes still have an appeal Yesterday I walked the coast in very pleasant conditions, and the laundry was dry by lunchtime! Have a great week! Rosalie   basking in the sun The week began with nice weather and so Dan and I, set to and made up 100 wire circles to put around small trees as rabbit protection. Most of these will go to the Bluffs to protect Pohutukawa, but the rest will replace plastic tree protectors at Okahau. Two of the penguins in care decided that they had had enough, so we released them.  These penguins are 1 m up and wanting to leave care Jan and Robbie arrived on Tuesday and the main task was to do some maintenance on the traps. We got halfway round Katiki. There are a lot of traps!  The pups have moved into the forest and are looking for mischief On Wednesday I went to a doctor’s appointment in Dunedin for some maintenance and then Dan and I went to the pizza place at St. Clairs for lunch. I dropped Dan off in town and he headed home while I came back to the lighthouse.  Daytime bunnies in our bunny plague Murray and Robbie came out on Thursday and Robbie did more trap maintenance while Murray and I did the rounds. Sadly, we found Mr. 171 dead in front of his nestbox. There was no sign of a cause and when I contacted Megan, 2 other penguins had died that day. Mr. 171 was in his 20th year. We did not have him in care through the moult.  on sunny autumn mornings, Red billed gulls gather on the beach in their hundreds Have a great week, Rosalie   Supervised by a Molymawk Hello friends and family Last Sunday, after feeding the penguins, I headed south and picked up Dan from the 4:15pm flight in Invercargill. We stayed the night at the Ascot lodge, and in the morning headed to Bluff. After exploring the local area, we got on the ferry to Rakiura, Stewart Island. The ferry landed in Oban and our hotel – the “South Seas Hotel” was just across the road. We dropped our bags and spent the rest of the day exploring the local area.  South Sea Hotel On Tuesday, we set off for Ulva Island, a predator free nature reserve. The tracks can be covered in 2 hours, but we took 5. Every time we stopped walking and sat quietly, we saw another species of native bird. It was magic.  A Stewart Island Black Robin Then it was back to the hotel for dinner and an early night. Wednesday was our day to leave the island, so we had until 3:30pm to explore in a different direction. It was glorious. We checked out a nature reserve with a predator proof fence to keep the deer and feral cats out and walked coastal trails. In the end, Dan walked 22km and I walked 20. We got on the ferry in a timely fashion and then drove home to the lighthouse, arriving shortly after 9pm. Jan, Robbie and Murray came out to do the rounds on Thursday morning. Mrs 111 had still not gone to sea. Jason was driving by, so he took her down to the Dunedin Wildlife hospital. Let’s hope they can find out what is wrong and help her recover.  Dead Man's cove on Stewart Island On Friday, the family arrived. We welcomed Paul, Jen, Olivia, Connor, Ken and Pamela. I served up wild pork on Friday night, and we went to the tavern for tea last night. They are all heading into Central Otago today.  Not a penguin Have a great week, Rosalie   Playtime in the forest Hello friends and family Happy Easter It was windy for the start of the week, which usually keeps me close to home. I have been releasing penguins and cleaning – rinse and repeat! The exception was on Monday morning when I collected a pre-moult juvenile Hoiho from the Moeraki Boulders beach.  Hiding under a bush Jenny from the Kaik had found it and called me – a very lucky penguin! It has an old injury on the shoulder, which may be why it is so late to moult. I could not find a micro-chip, but it does behave as if it is used to people. The team came out on Tuesday, and we did the rounds in the gale. Wednesday was my day at the Toptip for April, and the sun shone, the wind dropped and it was very pleasant.  penguins are very athletic More monitoring on Thursday, Robbie brought his chainsaws and cleared the path at Okahau. Dave came out for dinner on Friday night, bringing some delicious Blue Cod that was a real treat. It was back to cleaning penguin pens yesterday, with around 70 moulting penguins, the number of feathers would be over a million!  trying to look innocent Have a great week! Rosalie  |
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