HELP THE PENGUINSI

You can help us safeguard the future of the blue penguin (kororā) and the Fiordland crested penguin (tawaki); all it takes is a small donation.

We welcome Linden Brown as our new Penguin Ranger

The Trust is delighted to welcome Linden Brown into our small team.

From many excellent applications for the 20 hours a week Trust Ranger role, the Trust has recently appointed Linden and he took on the role from 26th October.

The Ranger role encompasses field work during the penguin breeding season and much more. 

Find out more about Linden and what he will be doing for penguins here.

Farewell Reuben and Matt

The Trust is sad to be saying farewell to Chair and former Ranger Reuben Lane and Ranger Matt Charteris, who are leaving their roles to focus on other conservation and home building projects, but we will maintain close ties with them on future blue penguin and seabirds projects.

We wish you all the best Matt and Reuben!

Kerry-Jayne Wilson's long awaited new book has arrived

We are thrilled to announce that Kerry-Jayne's eagerly anticipated book specifically about the seabirds of New Zealand is published.

This has been a labour of love for Kerry-Jayne, who has had a passion for seabirds for many years, and the new book, being published by Potton & Burton, looks superb with stunning photographs.

Read more here.

Pre-order your copy today here! A perfect Christmas present for those bird lovers out there.

Kerry-Jayne Wilson's Seabirds of New Zealand, A Natural History, was reviewed on RNZ Nine to Noon

"You'll love this book!" "Superb photographs." "A visual symphony."

Listen to Murray William's review of the book  here.

Stewart Island tawaki survey published

Robin Long's survey of 40km of the rugged north coast of Stewart Island for tawaki has been published in Notornis, the journal of the Ornithological Society of NZ, last month.

Robin, the Trust's new Chair, has been surveying tawaki nests since the age of 14. In recent years, she has extended the search from South Westland to Stewart Island to help better understand the range and size of the tawaki population there.

Read more here.

Kerry-Jayne tells the story of the Westland Petrel

As part of an occasional series featuring species and their photographers by the team at the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, Kerry-Jayne Wilson was invited to tell the story of the Westland petrel.

'Discovered' in 1945 as a new species, the Westland petrel or taiko has been of interest to ecologist and ornithologist Kerry-Jayne since the 1970s when she discovered it on caving trips around Punakaiki."

Read more here.

Seabirds' plight prompts balloon release ban

"Balloons floating in the water can look like squid or jellyfish, and marine mammals, seabirds and turtles often mistake them for food. Animals can be seriously harmed or killed by balloons and their attachments when they eat them, or become entangled."

Using the slogan "where balloons fly seabirds die", (the link includes the bubble blowing alternative and a bubble recipe), Zoos Victoria and Phillip Island Nature Parks have been campaigning about the dangers of balloon litter since 2017.

Read more about the issue here.

How do storms affect foraging little penguins?

As extreme weather is expected to become more frequent with global climate change, scientists are learning how storms affect little penguins.

Read the paper in PLOS ONE here.

If you found the previous two articles interesting.....

The Australasian Seabird Group's latest e-Bulletin is full of interesting articles, including:

"Public perception of wild penguin welfare"

"Little penguins incredible plasticity when hunting for food"

"Why do most oceanic seabirds have dark wings?"

Read the e-Bulletin here.

Westland petrel chicks might need your help

Westland petrel chicks are leaving the nest for the first time between November and January and can be disorientated by lights and poor weather at the very start of their long journey to South America.

90% of petrels found downed due to disorientation by lights are fledglings.  Tragically, many are disorientated by vehicle or street lights and come down on roads.  Black birds on a black road at night are highly likely to be involved in a collision and are often killed. They also need height to launch themselves, so if they come down on the road, they are likely to be stranded.

You can help! Find out here. And find out what Waka Kotahi NZTA are doing to help here.

Exciting news.....Blue Penguins & Other Seabirds II has finally arrived

Our new and updated education resource book Blue Penguins and Other Seabirds has finally been completed and printed!

It will be ready for download and distribution soon. Watch this space.

We first published this fantastic resource and activities book in 2014 and it has been a very popular, fun, interactive tool for many teachers, educators and groups, up and down the West Coast and all over New Zealand too. 

Find out more about our education resource book and a bit of background as to how it came about here.

Keep an eye out on our website and facebook page!

Another Great Annual West Coast Blue Penguin Count

This is an annual event in October, but we invite observations at any time of year.

We choose a week when penguin activity is at its height and tides are suitable to encourage everyone to get out counting tracks, so we can gather a bit of a picture of penguin presence.

From Buller to Westland, people had fun getting out into nature and some good tracks were discovered, including by 7 year old Oliver Hudson (photo). If you have results, stories or photos to share with us, please email us.

Read more about our annual count here.

Will any school or group enter the Christmas Tree Festival this year and raise awareness for penguins for us?

Over the last few years, The West Coast Penguin Trust has entered a tree into the Christmas Tree Festival in Greymouth, one year with the help of Grey Main Primary School saving Christmas for us, with their quick work on a beautiful informative tree for the public and last year, luckily Paroa School chose to decorate a tree with blue penguins and we were thankful to them for spreading the word.

Would anyone like to do it this year for us? Get in touch and let us know if you think you might like to take on the festive challenge!

Looking for gift ideas for Christmas? Look no further... and don't forget Kerry-Jayne's fabulous new book (above)!

There are lovely tawaki t-shirts from Tumbleweed Tees

Read about Tumbleweed Tees efforts for conservation here.

And go straight to the tawaki tees here.

Make someone a Trust Supporter

Sign up as a Supporter and then email us before 16th December to let us know the name of the person you'd like to make a Supporter of the Trust as a gift, and their email and postal address, and we'll update the record and send them a new Supporter Christmas card from us and from you!

Read more about it here.

Or simply donate on someone's behalf here ...

Donate when you buy gorgeous sustainable jewelry and decorations from Stone Arrow

20% from every purchase comes to us as a donation when you put 'bluepenguin' in the discount box at the checkout!

https://stonearrow.co.nz/