The Great Annual West Coast Blue Penguin Count will take place this year between 17th and 22nd October, when tides are low in the early morning.
If you ever think you would like to make time to get out to the beach for an early morning walk, now’s the time to do it with an extra purpose!
An early morning walk brings a variety of benefits:
- a dose of daylight – helps to reset melatonin levels for a better night’s sleep
- fresh air
- exercise
- connecting to nature
- mental well-being
- reminding you why you love the coast, and
- helping to determine where there may be penguins.
It’s a huge advantage for the Trust to have recent records of the presence of penguins. For example, when contributing to regional council plans or district council operations, we can make sure penguins are avoided and protected – with your help.
The October dates are chosen when blue penguins will be busy feeding chicks, and at least one parent will be going out pretty much every day to forage, leaving tracks on sandy beaches before dawn, and returning after dark with food.
The dates are narrowed down according to the tides so that a morning walk will be well before high tide and any penguin tracks should be clearly visible on the freshly washed canvas of a sandy beach.
The more penguin track trackers the better and we invite you to take an early morning walk on your beach during this year’s Great Annual West Coast Blue Penguin Count, and record any tracks on the i-Naturalist app.
Read more here including what to look for and how to record any tracks that you see using your smart phone.
While materials were chosen that would stand up to the harsh coastal conditions, those same coastal conditions are conducive to plant growth! Occasional checks of the fences have been carried out by volunteers and rangers so that any maintenance needs can be identified and remedied. The never-ending need for maintenance is managing the vegetation that can grow through the fence, for example gorse, blackberry and hydrangea, pushing it to breaking point in places, or flop over causing damage from the weight of rank grass, rushes and weeds such as montbretia.
Volunteers recently spent a few hours tidying up the main fence along Woodpecker Bay north of Punakaiki so a big shout out to them - thank you Fiona, Jony, Reef, Katrina, Mandy, Marty, Teresa and Deb! Flax had been pressing down on the fence, but now the fence has been freed up by these wonderful volunteers - and they picked up a fair bit of rubbish too.
Volunteer Natassja Savidge has offered to check and help maintain the Hokitika penguin protection fence and joined Ranger Lucy Waller and Manager Inger Perkins in May to inspect the length of the fence. Some minor issues were found but the main finding was the extent of the vegetation growth that was damaging the fence in places. Big thanks to Natassja!
