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Hello and welcome to our spring newsletter.
I would like to say firstly, thank you to Inger for taking over the newsletters in my absence for the first half of this year. I am back from an adventurous year abroad (having gone for 6 weeks!) with a mixture of much needed family time and wildlife adventures. I put the laptop down and gained some hands on experience with some other marine animals, such as manatees, turtles and sharks, meanwhile still sharing the penguin love across the globe. The West Coast Penguin Trust and the story of our New Zealand penguins have been discussed far and wide.
It seems that I wasn't the only one being held up this year to return; the penguins are all having a late start too. Ranger Linden reports that our local penguins are up to 3 weeks late starting to lay eggs. We have had similar reports from around the country too. New Zealand has had a lot of rain and high winds for the past weeks and it is known that fewer penguins come ashore during stormy weather, whether it's struggling to catch food in the sediment heavy waters or navigation issues. Read Linden's interesting report on the latest from the colonies and an update into some new and exciting monitoring tools for this season in the 'News from our Rangers' section of this newsletter.
It has been fabulous to get back into schools again with our education programme and our newly revamped and published educational resource book 'Blue Penguins and Other Seabirds'. You can read more updates on our education programme and what exciting things we have planned in this newsletter.
We are ever so excited to welcome Mena, South Island's only penguin detection dog, back again for a two week tour of the West Coast. We will survey much of the coast to get a more detailed, updated picture of blue penguin presence and some schools will be lucky enough to have a visit from her.
We're just into whitebait season, which makes our beaches and river mouths much busier than usual. This means lots of humans, dogs, cars and penguins all trying to co-exist. We have put some helpful tips in our newsletter to keep penguins safe this season. Good luck with your catch and thank you for being diligent for our penguins. You might be lucky enough to have some penguin experiences whilst out there; please enjoy from a distance with the least disturbance possible.
Hopefully you don't need this, but just in case, we're including the DOC hotline so that it's handy in case you come across an injured penguin or any wildlife that seems to be struggling whilst out there on the beach, river mouths, roads, 0800 DOCHOT (362 468), and do all you can to ensure they 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.
Thank you again for your interest and support and we hope you get a chance to get out on to the beach and enjoy our beautiful surroundings and wildlife this spring, perhaps joining the Annual Penguin Count - on now, up to and including 17th September - see below for details. Good luck counting tracks! Lucy Waller
Education & Awareness Ranger, West Coast Penguin Trust |
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Ranger Linden reports a late start to the breeding season for kororā
"We generally see the first eggs laid around early August, so it seems as if this season they have started 2-3 weeks later than normal, and a similar trend is playing out at numerous other kororā colonies around the country...."
Trustee, Jill also reported a late start to the season and a 'party' in their nest box last week, in preparation for the breeding season.
Read our ranger report here |
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| Two exciting new tools for monitoring kororā "Building on our foundation of 16 years of monitoring breeding success at two Charleston little penguin/ kororā colonies, this year we have two exciting new tools to further our knowledge of kororā breeding, foraging, and in the long-term, population demography..." Find out more here |
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Joining forces with Sustainable Coastlines in education Education Ranger, Lucy, joined forces with Sustainable Coastlines Coordinator, Emma Hunter, visiting local Hokitika primary schools. A fun day of joining education programmes, pulling resources, ideas and skills together in the form of obstacle courses.
Read more about our fun and worthwhile day here. |
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Classroom penguin habitat created Hokitika Primary's Rūma Piwakawaka, year 2 class create their very own classroom penguin habitat.
Have a look at their work here. |
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Trust Annual Report – a tale of change and loss, but also of productivity and hope The 2021/22 year was overshadowed by the death of our inspiration, guide, scientist, and Chair for most of the Trust's existence, Kerry-Jayne Wilson MNZM, but the future is bright.
Trust Chair, Robin Long, introduces the annual report this year. Read the report here. |
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Mena the loveable penguin detection dog returns to the West Coast She is the only penguin detection conservation dog in the South Island and her handler is Alastair Judkins. They are joining the West Coast Penguin Trust for two weeks to survey penguin nest sites up and down the West Coast and visit schools.
Read more about this long awaited return here |
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Events that might interest you |
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It's the West Coast Annual Blue Penguin Count time again folks An early morning walk in the spring, the week of Monday 12th - Saturday 17th September, will help you rediscover the beauty of your local coastline, discover whether penguins are using the beach and help us build a clearer picture of where blue penguins are on the West Coast. Read how you can join in and help here. |
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Take a moment to act for nature this Conservation Week
Conservation Week 2022, which concluded yesterday, focused on how we can take action for nature any time.
Taking action not only benefits nature, but also our personal wellbeing. Ka ora te whenua, ka ora te tangata – when the land is well, the people are well. When Papatūānuku thrives, we thrive.
Find out how to take action here. |
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In other penguin news ... |
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Book launch at Granity School Granity School welcomed ex-local and author, Juliet Cooper for a very special visit in July. Juliet used to live in Granity, and, during her time there, was inspired by the whanau of kororā (blue penguins) who lived under her cottage. She wrote a children's book about them and decided to launch it back in the place it all began.
Read more here. |
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Lucky escape for little penguin found buried alive in mudslide Department of Conservation rangers busy clearing a 20-metre-long slip in the Abel Tasman National Park got the surprise of their life when they unearthed a little blue penguin last Monday.
Read about this lucky little blue here. |
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First penguin in New Zealand to undergo cataract surgery makes full recovery A penguin from Auckland's Kelly Tarlton's Aquarium has become the first of its kind to undergo cataract surgery in New Zealand. Read the story here. |
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New Zealand recorded most impactful marine heatwave in history in 2022 - and this is just the beginning
"Looking to the future, Moana Project research shows that average sea temperatures could increase by 1.4 degrees by 2060, and by almost 3 degrees by the end of the century. This has wide implications for marine life, including fisheries and aquaculture. This means that by mid-century we may be facing 260 days of marine heatwaves per year, increasing to 350 days by 2100." Read what the Moana project team have to say here. |
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| Penguin genes show how they adapted to the cold - Now they're vulnerable to climate change
Penguins are incredibly cute and fluffy, and hilarious when they walk, but they also break records in diving, and have an amazing ability to survive in the cold.
Today, a comprehensive genetic analysis of penguins helps explain why, and sheds light on their future under a warming climate.
Read the study here. |
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A devastating avian bird flu expected to hit Southern Hemisphere soon A new, highly pathogenic form of avian flu has been sweeping through wild bird populations across the Northern hemisphere.
The unprecedented levels of mortality seen in some species of seabirds have left conservationists extremely concerned about the disease's long-term impacts. We are expecting it to arrive in the next few months.
Read more here. |
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Who are Sustainable Coastlines and what is Litter Intelligence?
As you read above, Education Ranger Lucy, joined forces with Sustainable Coastlines Coordinator, Emma Hunter, visiting local Hokitika primary schools this month, delivering their Litter Intelligence Programme.
Litter is a major risk to the people, culture, environment and economy of Aotearoa, especially when it enters our marine environment. Sustainable Coastlines are trying to tackle this problem and doing an amazing job.
Read about it here. |
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Dogs can 'see' with their noses, studies suggest A study published this month in the Journal of Neuroscience revealed that vision and the sense of smell are connected in the brains of dogs, something not yet found in any other species. What does this mean for penguins on our local beaches? Read more about the study here. |
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Speaking of dogs and their noses ... |
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Whitebait season is upon us
Whitebait season coincides with the crucial time of penguin eggs being laid, new chicks hatching and parents gathering and delivering food to their offspring. It is a busy time at the coast where penguins, humans, dogs and cars all have to co-exist as best as we can. Read how we can keep penguins safe here. |
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A big THANK YOU to all our supporters, donors, volunteers and the community for all your support. |
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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: -
2022 season updates, after these late starters so far
- Update on how the new microchip reader is going
- News from Lucy, busy in schools with Mena and Alistair and a trip up to Golden Bay
- 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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