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Kia Ora and welcome to our Christmas newsletter. It's that time of year again when the sun is hot and the BBQ's are smoking, the beaches get busy, families and friends gather, and when parents are frantically preparing for Christmas. At the same time, in the penguin world, parents are also busily going backwards and forwards bringing food from the sea to the land. Chicks are growing fat and shedding their down feathers, preparing to get into the sea for the first time, and calling impatiently to their parents to feed them. They start to venture out of their burrows, bravely exploring what's outside the dark cave of the nest, which has been their entire world so far! It's a time for taking care of each other and the nature around us, as we celebrate. We wish you all a Meri Kirihimete and a very Happy Holidays. We thank you all for your support in all the different ways we have received it over this past year. All the time spent reading our newsletters, counting penguin tracks, donating money and gifts, building nest boxes, raising awareness for us and many other ways. Thank you. This packed festive instalment brings you the latest reports from our rangers in the field, in the community and schools and behind the scenes. Read our latest updates from the penguin colonies on the West Coast, from the Antipodes, from our local schools and much more. Once chicks have fledged, embarking on that big adventure out to sea, parents will spend time looking after themselves and putting on weight to prepare for the moult. The annual moult is usually around January/February for our penguins, and may be a little later as breeding started late this season. So, 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. You may have read of the loss of Department of Conservation funding for community conservation in our Annual Report, a symptom of the reducing funding for DOC, which is already severely stretched. We are proud to have returned, on average, $3 of conservation value for every $1 of DOC funding invested in the trust. That $1 was critical in doing so, leveraging other grants for example. Without the prospect of DOC grants, we must look further afield and work harder to fundraise if we are to maintain our projects in the medium term. We hope you can help, perhaps help some more. We have been very fortunate to have been offered up to $5,000 from a Supporter to launch a new match-funding campaign. We'd love you to share the joy of giving with us this Christmas - traditionally the season of giving - and find double the joy as you make twice the impact, helping raise $10,000 for kororā conservation projects! Find out more below. As always we have some festive suggestions for Christmas gifts, which help support the work we do, or if you would like to give a donation on behalf of a friend in lieu of a gift, we can help! Thank you again for your interest and support in 2023. We wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Meri Kirihimete Lucy Waller Ranger, West Coast Penguin Trust |
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A fantastic first season in the field I have had a fantastic first season in the field this year. It has been so interesting to follow the season and watch the adults prepare their nests, lay eggs, incubate, little black golf balls of fluff turn into larger brown balls of fluff and then the alopecia style hair dos of brown fluff and the mullets and then the day you arrive and there is nobody home….. they have fledged the nest and we say good luck to them. Ever wondered what blue penguins look like at each stage of their lives? Read and see more here |
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Tawaki 101 and exceptions to the rules Tawaki usually lay two eggs and only raise one chick. However there are occasionally two chick nests and this season Tawaki Ranger Catherine has been reporting more of these than she has ever seen before. More on that very unusual situation next time. Learn more about this fascinating bird here |
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Thank you to Grace for including penguins in the AFS Global STEM Accelerators Programme The West Coast Penguin Trust owe a big thank you to Grace Lockington for including penguins in the AFS Global STEM Accelerators Programme. Women around the world currently make up more than half of the college-educated workforce. However, STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) are made up of only 28% women. Women and girls who desire to learn more about STEM often face a challenging set of circumstances in fields that are traditionally dominated by men. Read Grace's story here and more about AFS Global |
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A big thank you to Rūma Kereru at Kaniere School and the Lockington family An amazing journey was had this year for Rūma Kereru at Kaniere School and its teacher, Maria Lockington and her daughter, John Paul High School student, Grace. From penguin dissections, to beach visits to nest boxes, a very big thank you from the Trust. Read more here |
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Chair and Tawaki Ranger, Robin, explore the Antipodes with the Tawaki Project "And from one volcano to another, I'm back on Antipodes for another season studying penguins with the Tawaki Project. having a fantastic time. So many different species of birds and the penguin chicks are getting fat." Follow Robin and the team's journey here |
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Thank you St Canice's School for 12 nest boxes for our next breeding season The students at St Canice's Primary School had a mini certificate award ceremony with us before the end of term to say a big thank you for the efforts made this term. Twelve nest boxes were made by the students, grandparents and family members and we are always ever so grateful, not just for the boxes that are so essential for us, but also for the advocacy and awareness raised by this event. It is so brilliant seeing all generations coming together for a cause. If you missed St.Canice's story in August, find it here |
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Other news from the Trust |
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Your donations will be doubled to help us do more for West Coast penguins through another fabulous match-funding opportunity! One good turn deserves another as they say and we hope one example of generosity will prompt your generosity! A generous Supporter of the trust has offered to match donations up to $5,000 to support our projects in 2024. Please help us to make the most of this wonderful offer! Find out more here (Or jump straight to our donations page here) |
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Our labour day weekend tawaki released Occasionally we are called upon to assist with penguins that need some help before they can go to people who specialise in rehabilitation. This week, Inger was privileged to watch the release of two tawaki. One was the tawaki that turned up on our local Hokitika beach on labour day weekend and was very fortunate to go over to the South Island Wildlife Hospital at Willowbank in late October The second was found and looked after here in Hokitika. Read more and find video clips here. |
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In other penguin news ... |
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Australian tawaki successfully released We noted a story about several tawaki turning up in Australia in the winter due to tough feeding conditions but we didn't share the story that prompted the media attention, so here it is. After washing ashore starved and unable to stand, thousands of kilometres from home, a tawaki was released back into the wild. Weeks of patient, specialised care brought this rare and endangered bird back from the brink of death, nursed by volunteer wildlife carer, Tracey Wilson. Watch the story here |
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Four seconds naps, over 10,000 times a day A study this year found chinstrap penguins take four second naps over 10,000 times a day. The amazing microsleep strategy may be an adaptation to group living and lurking predators in a harsh Antarctic environment. Read the news story here. |
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DOC and the West Coast Penguin Trust urge everybody to love their dogs and wildlife Every year, our furry friends injure and kill endangered native coastal species. Many marine mammals and sea birds such as seals, kororā and red-billed gulls are under threat due to attacks by cats and dogs. DOC are encouraging people to help keep their dogs safe on the beaches. We're all in this together - if we keep our dogs happy and safe, wildlife will be safe too. Listen to an interview on National Radio here. |
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It's Chriiiisssstmaaass..... |
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It's that time of year for Christmas gift ideas folks Meri Kirihimete! |
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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. |
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Or you could make a donation on someone's behalf and we've made a card you can send to let them know. Find out more here |
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Donate when you buy gorgeous sustainable jewellery 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! Go to the Stone Arrow website here. |
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Or some gorgeous blue penguin and tawaki penguin earrings and magnets for sale by Meena of Meena.nzcraft, right here on the West Coast. These earrings with wonderful hand-painted detail are just $20 a pair, made from recycled rimu with stainless steel hypoallergenic hooks. Magnets and keychains are made from craft wood and only $15 each. Meena generously donates 10% of every purchase of penguin items to the West Coast Penguin Trust. Visit her website here. |
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And a big Christmas THANK YOU to all our supporters, donors, volunteers and the community for all your support this year. We really really appreciate you! |
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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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| ON A NEED TO KNOW BASIS ... Hopefully you will never need this, but just in case, we're including the DOC hotline so that it's handy if you come across an injured penguin or any sick or injured 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, ideally with a photograph and clear description of the location. If you can have a look and it's obvious or apparent, your thoughts on possible cause of death would be very helpful. We can then add the information to our database - which informs our conservation actions. |
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Coming soon: - End of season reports from our West Coast colonies
- Penguin ramps, dug into erosion cliffs and then steps made in woodworking class
- Stories from the Antipodes from Robin
- 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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