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Happy New Year ! Hari tau hou! Did you see any penguins on your travels or days at the beach? We would love to hear about them and we hope you had a lovely Christmas and summertime holidays, with or without penguins.
We would like to wish our wonderful Supporters a belated Happy New Year 2023 and share a few interesting items that have come to our attention over the holidays as well as news from our team.
We are saying a final farewell to our dear Kerry-Jayne Wilson next month with a memorial get together in Charleston for all her knew her. Details are below and please feel welcome to attend in person or take a moment to think of her on the day, from afar.
In the penguin world, chicks have fledged and embarked on a big adventure out to sea, penguin parents are spending time looking after themselves and either putting on weight to prepare for the moult or moulting. The annual moult is usually around January/February for our penguins, and may be a little later as breeding started late this season. So, as we mentioned in the Christmas newsletter, if you come across a scruffy penguin or a slightly confused one, give them space and enjoy the wonderful sight from afar, ensuring they are safe from dogs. Thank you.
As always, it is worth giving you the DOC hotline so that it's handy if you come across an injured penguin or any wildlife that seems to be struggling whilst out there on the beach, river mouths or roads: 0800 DOCHOT (362 468), and again, do all you can to ensure sick or injured wildlife are safe from dogs.
Also, if you see or hear about a dead penguin, please let us know using our simple reporting form or drop us an email, ideally with a photograph, and, if you can have a look and it's obvious or apparent, your thoughts on possible cause of death. We can then add the information to our database - which informs our conservation actions.
Thank you again for your interest and generous support in 2022. We wish you all a very happy and healthy 2023. Lucy Waller Education & Awareness Ranger, West Coast Penguin Trust |
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Tawaki have a good breeding season Tawaki wrapped up their breeding season for 2022 in late November, and it proved to be a good year with close to 100% success rate - one fledged chick per nest.
Read more here. (Photo: Gerry McSweeney) |
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| But it was a difficult season for kororā
2022 proved to be a challenging season for kororā on the West Coast, with chicks fledging from only 35% of eggs laid at one colony. Poor food supply is the likely cause. Read more here
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Five years on and we re-visit the Ōkarito kororā colony This healthy, safe penguin colony south of Ōkarito is thriving without disturbance - it encourages us to pursue a vision for other kororā colonies on the West Coast.
Read more here. |
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We continued to follow our Trust Chair, Robin Long, on her expedition to the Subantarctic as part of the Tawaki Project
"It is mid-December and the up-and-coming generation of Erect-crested penguins is entering their next stage in life - crèching. Until now, the dads have been looking after their offspring for over a month without getting any food. So it's high time that they go and get something into their bellies as well. This means chicks have to stay home alone. And to avoid being beaten up by that nasty neighbour or being gobbled up by those pesky Skuas, the chicks congregate in large huddles. At Orde Lees we counted crèches of up to a hundred chicks."
Read more fascinating posts like this one from 15th December and follow the team's journey on The Tawaki Project's facebook page. |
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West Coast schools set for a new year of penguin conservation Education Ranger, Lucy, is preparing for a busy year ahead visiting schools and running projects with classes.
Keep an eye on our education page, which is soon to be revamped to show all the great work West Coast kids are doing!
Our newly revised education resource is available online and also available in hard copy, just get in touch if you'd like one (free of charge). If you know parents who are home-schooling children, please let them know.
If you are an educator and would like to run a penguin project this year or have a visit from education ranger, Lucy, please do get in touch with us to discuss working together. |
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Memorial event for Kerry-Jayne Wilson MNZM It has been almost a year since Kerry-Jayne's passing and, close to what would have been her 74th birthday, a memorial event will be held in Charleston on Saturday 4th March 2023. All who valued her are invited. Find the details here |
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| Grey High School students raise $432 with sustainable initiative Education for Sustainability students at Grey High School chose fast fashion as their issue to research and address. They addressed it in a very creative way and mindful way, upcycling old material destined for landfill and raising money for the West Coast Penguin Trust. Read the story here |
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In other penguin news ... |
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Chile rejects $2.5bn iron and copper mine planned near penguin reserve Chile's government has rejected a controversial $2.5bn iron and copper mining project proposed in an important area for biodiversity and marine life.
Read the story here |
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Penguin Awareness Day came and went
January 20th each year is Penguin Awareness Day, and, considering we share our West Coast beaches and forests with two different species of penguin, this day is very relevant to us Coasters.
Did you know that we have the World's smallest penguin living beside our beaches and in our forests on the West Coast? See our post here
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Emperor penguins have been added to endangered species list and experts warn they 'need urgent climate action' The bird - the largest of all the penguin species - has been listed as "threatened" under the USA's Endangered Species Act, the country's premier wildlife conservation law.
The primary concern is the melting of their sea ice homes around Antarctica as the planet heats up, the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) said, citing studies that forecast potentially drastic population declines in the coming decades.
Read the article here. |
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The Tawaki Project continues to disprove the countershading theory "Two Erect-crested penguins emerging from the deep. Funny how countershading does diddley squat to make the bird less visible from below. So why are penguins black and white?" Watch their wonderful video here
Follow their project here |
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New marine temperature variance forecast map available - interesting and alarming
As the climate changes, our seas are getting warmer. A new forecast developed by the MetService-led Moana Project is now available on SwellMap, showing the difference between actual and expected sea surface temperatures for New Zealand waters. Read more here.
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| New Year brings severe marine heatwave to southern NZ The early part of the new year is set to bring severe marine heatwaves for the bottom of the South Island where sea surface temperatures will reach a whopping 4 degrees or more above average.
This is according to MetService oceanographer Dr Joao de Souza, who is tracking marine heatwaves as part of the Moana Project.
Forecasts were updated in mid January with reports of 6 degrees above average and changes in commercial fish stocks on the West Coast - read the Stuff article here. |
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Help Birds NZ's Beach Patrol Scheme
In March 2022, the Beach Patrol database comprised nearly 30,000 records and more than 440,000 birds have been counted. The Beach Patrol Scheme is one of the oldest of the long-term record schemes managed by Birds NZ, and is one of the oldest continuously managed biological databases in New Zealand. You can help Birds NZ by making a report as and when you find a dead seabird, or even doing regular beach patrols.
Find out more here, including the observation form.
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Take a look at other penguin conservation efforts going on around the country.... |
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Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust
The Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust is a long established charitable trust with a specific focus on the conservation of hoiho across its range. They ensure the survival of hoiho by managing birds and their habitat, and addressing impacts in the marine and terrestrial environments.
Take a look at the valuable work they do here. |
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Blue Penguin Colony Oamaru
The Oamaru Blue Penguin Colony provides visitors with an opportunity to see little penguins in their natural environment. In the evening, visitors are captivated by watching the nightly arrival of penguins from their days' fishing at sea.
The Colony is a tourism operation with a strong research and conservation focus. At the core of the operation is a long-term conservation programme that ensures the penguins are protected and that the population achieves long-term stability.
Find out more about this important site for blue penguins here.
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| Penguin Rescue NZ
This penguin rehabilitation centre and Trust is run by Rosalie Goldsworthy MNZM. They have created a sanctuary for hoiho and other penguins.
To visit the penguins at Katiki Point is a privilege. You have the opportunity to experience taonga (treasure), the penguins of Aotearoa, New Zealand. This opportunity is due to the dedication of Penguin Rescue, in collaboration with Te Runanga O Moeraki, the Department of Conservation and various other stakeholders. Read more about the important work they do and how to visit this area here. |
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The Tawaki Project
Welcome to the Tawaki Project, a long-term study of the marine ecology, breeding biology and population dynamics of the world's least known, most enigmatic penguin species - the Fiordland penguin or Tawaki.
The Fiordland penguin (Eudyptes pachyrhynchus) or tawaki is believed to be one of the rarest penguins worldwide. Critical information is missing to assess how human activities might impact on tawaki, be it ongoing climate change, fisheries activities or pollution of the marine habitat with mining effluents or oil-leaks.
This project is aiming to address the key aspects of tawaki marine ecology
Find out more about the tawaki project and its vital work here.
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Kaikōura Ocean Research Institute (K.O.R.I)
A network of marine researchers and educators who are committed to protecting marine life in Kaikōura.
Since 2012, the Kaikōura Ocean Research Institute Inc. has conducted meaningful scientific research on Kaikōura's marine environment and the animals that live within it, with the aim of increasing scientific and public understanding of local species, and the threats which face them.
They believe that this combination of research and education is key to the conservation of the marine wildlife in Kaikōura, some of which is already critically endangered.
Read more about the important work they do and how to visit this area here. |
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We thank you for your support and look forward to a successful year for penguins and everyone! |
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| Don't forget to follow us on Facebook to keep up to date with all the important and fun local penguin news! And remember our website also has all the latest news, up-to-date information about the Trust, our projects and much more!
Stay connected.... www.westcoastpenguintrust.org.nz/ |
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Coming soon: - Updates on the 2022 season from our rangers
- What schools are up to in term 1
- Update on how the new microchip reader is going
- Stories from the Subantarctic from Robin
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And much more - local as well as some other penguin news
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Follow us on Facebook and Vimeo and find out more on our website |
West Coast Penguin Trust info@westcoastpenguintrust.org.nz | www.westcoastpenguintrust.org.nz If you'd rather not receive emails from us, unsubscribe here. |
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