Just as Sam and Dr Lisa were finishing up surgery on the female penguin with the tendon injury, I found myself assisting DOC Ranger Mel with retrieving two injured adult penguins and their two chicks from out in the field. We had left that morning with the promise of...
Over the last few days we have had a run-in with various sick yellow-eyed penguins (YEPs). We picked up a sick yellow-eyed penguin that had been collected the previous day. We assessed the bird at the Owaka DOC Base – he was emaciated, and Lisa identified the...
Over the last week, we have been continuing our work at field sites around the Otago Peninsula conducting health assessments on yellow-eyed penguin chicks as well as having the opportunity to PIT tag any chicks that fit the criteria. This is vital to monitor the...
After a full-on week of travel and work at the Catlins, Sam and I were both looking forward to our upcoming rest day and a sleep in… however there’s no way you can sleep in when you’re staying somewhere like the Otago Peninsula! Otago Peninsula not only packs in great...
With weather reports of thunderstorms, 60kph winds, and a plane flight already cancelled in favour of a helicopter flight the next day… Dannie and I weren’t certain that we’d get to Codfish on our planned day. However – we received no call, so we packed up all of our...
This week we’ve been lucky enough to be situated at Penguin Place, on the Otago Peninsula. Penguin Place is a private conservation reserve dedicated to helping yellow-eyed penguins survive – successfully started up and run by the McGrouther family since its...
