Penguin Rescue Update

Waiting and waiting and....

Hello friends and family
I had to go to Oamaru on Monday because my denture broke. It had been fixed around a year ago, so I was not happy to be presented with a bill of $120. Such is life! 
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Full moon - spectacular!

​The season is ramping up, and the penguins are mostly behaving as expected. The breeding pairs are settling on their eggs, and the single males are beginning to maraud around the colony. This behaviour is dangerous for eggs and small chicks, so we dispersed the dummy eggs on Thursday. This means placing a dummy egg in the nests of the males that failed to find a wife, because for Hoiho, there are nearly 2 males for every female. This season about 5 of last year’s single males found a partner and are now on their own eggs.

A very pregnant NZ sealion is visiting

​The males usually settle on their dummy eggs and continue to go fishing when they get hungry. There is a concern that they will get too thin, but the survival rate of single males is still well higher than for females. A broken egg or trampled chick has no chance.

The gulls are choosing nest sites

​Spring has arrived and the garden is wonderful – growing like crazy and smelling very sweet! I have planted tomato and broccoli seeds.

Keeping me company in Oamaru

​The silly season has begun.

We got a light dusting of snow earlier in the week

​I escorted the first lot of overstayers out at about 6:30pm on Thursday, and at 7:45pm I was alerted to the next lot by bleating lambs next door as a tourist flew his drone over them, I escorted that lot out of the reserve as well. It seems the international language of today’s youth is to act dumb and say sorry a lot, while you just go ahead and do whatever you like!

I love this Clematis - it is self sown.

The rest of the week was windy and fine, just racing by while the grass just keeps growing.
Have a great week!
Rosalie