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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 Linden's interesting report on the latest from the largest blue penguin colony on the West Coast, from Robin exploring the Antipodes, from me out in our local schools and beaches, accompanied by our favourite dog Mena, 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.

 

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 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, 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.  

 

As always we have some festive suggestions for Christmas gifts, which help support the work we do, or if you would simply like to give a donation on behalf of a friend, we can help!

 

Thank you again for your interest and support in 2022. We wish you a very Merry Christmas and  a Happy New Year!

 

Meri Kirihimete

 

Lucy Waller

 

Education & Awareness Ranger, West Coast Penguin Trust

 

News from our Rangers

Ōkārito kororā colony gets a visit by Ranger Linden

 

"Unlike most kororā colonies on the West Coast, the penguins here are safe from dogs and cars, and human disturbance and the effect of introduced predators is minimal; it is little surprise that the penguin colony here is the largest on the West Coast."

 

Read our ranger report here

penguin

Chair and Tawaki Ranger, Robin, explores the Antipodes with the Tawaki Project

 

"The odd one out. Robin Long conducting ground counts of Erect-crested penguin nests on Proclamation Island, Bounty Islands. Final tally - 2776 penguin nests..."

 

Follow the team's journey here

And Robin's count here

 

Hokitika Primary's Ruma Piwakawaka become penguin detectives

 

Ruma Piwakawaka with Whae Maria, Whae Caitlin and myself had a field trip to the beach last week. We explored all the tracks and things to see at the beach and were lucky enough to find fresh penguin tracks leading right into their class planting site!

 

Read more about our fun and worthwhile day here.

What's in the box? Learning about threats

 

Hokitika Primary's Rūma Piwakawaka, year 2 class played a session of What's in the box  last week, to round off their penguin journey for the year.

 

 

 

 

Read more about the challenge here.

St Canice's School in Westport start their penguin journey

 

Education Ranger, Lucy, took a couple of visits up to St Canice's School in Westport this term to start their penguin project. The two classes are hoping to make nest boxes and raise awareness in the community. This will be continued next year for a long term project with the Trust.

 

 

 

 

Read a bit more about St.Canice's here

Catherine Stewart reports the latest from Gorge River

 

"Despite the late, shaky start with some lack of egg-laying, the chicks that made it seem to be doing really well. Yesterday I saw one moving down the creek with its parent, probably ready to leave..."

 

Read Catherine's report and find out more about identifying tawaki juveniles here

News from the Trust

Kawatiri Coastal Trail catches up with Trust Manager, Inger Perkins

 

By mid-December, it is anticipated that the Kawatiri Coastal Trail will see the first four consecutive Sections open to users, offering 23km of continuous Trail from Westport. They caught up with Trust Manager Inger Perkins to talk about her work with the Trail, the penguins, threats to colonies, and what the public can do to help.

 

Read the interview here.

Chair Robin and Trustee Suzanne meet Hon Poto Williams, Minister of Conservation

 

In October, the Hon. Poto Williams, Minister of Conservation, visited the West Coast and the Trust was fortunate to be granted a meeting. Our chair, Robin Long, and trustee, Suzanne Hills, attended.

 

Read Suzanne's report here

In other penguin news ...

A rare visitor to New Zealand

 

A king penguin, likely from a large colony on Tasmanian State Reserve Macquarie Island, has been spotted airily ambling along the beach at Fortrose Spit, in Southland.

 

Read the story here

Fence keeps little blue penguins out of construction zone but blocks them from nesting spots

 

Photos have emerged of fences blocking penguins from their Shelly Bay nest sites during the breeding season.  The site was sold with conditions including looking after the kororā.

 

Read the news story here.

tracker snip

Tawaki numbers steadily increasing at one site on the West Coast

 

Tawaki are said to be the third rarest of the world's 18 penguin species with a population of around 7000. However, numbers of tawaki, or Fiordland crested penguin, have been slowly but steadily increasing at this monitored site on the West Coast.

 

Read more here

Avian influenza could be disastrous in NZ

 

A highly infectious strain of bird flu has been spreading since 2014 and has been disastrous for both poultry and other birds in the US and Europe during 2022.  It has now reached pelicans in Peru and penguins in Africa.  It could reach NZ via migratory birds.  

 

Find out more and listen to an interview with wildlife vet Prof Brett Gartrell here

Little blue penguins killed as uncontrolled dogs attack burrows

 

Five kororā little blue penguins have died in as many months in Nelson Tasman thanks to dog attacks on beaches, and weka have been injured.

 

Please keep dogs safe by keeping them secure at home and on a lead or under very close control at the beach.

 

Read the article here.

Speaking of dogs...

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.

It's Chriiiisssstmaaass.....

It's that time of year for Christmas gift ideas folks

 

Meri Kirihimete!

 

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.

 

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/

 

 

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

 

 

 

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/

 

Coming soon:

  • Latest season reports from our rangers
  • Update on how the new microchip reader is going
  • Stories from the Antipodes from Robin
  • And much more - local as well as some other penguin news

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West Coast Penguin Trust

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