Message from the Chair Our vision continues to be that “Sea and shore birds and their habitat of the West Coast Te Tai Poutini are healthy and thriving”. Our Mission is to achieve the vision through research, education, awareness, advocacy and practical projects, founded on strong science. After three years as Chair, I will […]
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Oamaru Penguin Symposium 2023
Oamaru Penguin Symposium 2023 full programme […]
Help Birds NZ’s Beach Patrol Scheme
Occasionally, walking along the beach, we have all come across the sad sight of a dead seabird. Just as our Trust is interested in reports of dead penguins to help inform our conservation efforts, there are others interested in all dead seabirds as an important way of studying seabird movements throughout the year and understanding […]
New Year brings severe marine heatwave to southern NZ
Although the early new year is set to bring rain to many areas, severe marine heatwaves are forecast for the bottom of the South Island where sea surface temperatures will reach a whopping 4 degrees or more above average. This is according to MetService oceanographer Dr Joao de Souza, who is tracking marine heatwaves as […]
Tawaki, the third rarest penguin species in the world, steadily increasing on West Coast
The numbers of Tawaki, or Fiordland Crested Penguins, have been slowly but steadily increasing on the West Coast. Tawaki are the third rarest of the world’s 18 penguin species with a population of around 7000. They stand 60 centimetres tall and weigh about 4 kilograms. Females lay two eggs each year but only one chick […]
A rare visit from a King penguin!
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. Department of Conservation Murihiku operations manager John McCarroll said king penguins were fairly rare visitors to mainland New Zealand, but were probably annual visitors to the country’s subantarctic […]
Chair and Tawaki Ranger, Robin, currently exploring the Antipodes with the Tawaki Project
Chair and Tawaki Ranger, Robin Long, is out on an expedition to the Antipodes Islands with the Tawaki Project currently. Follow the team’s journey here: https://www.facebook.com/TawakiProject Try to spot the Robin, whilst conducting ground counts of Erect-crested penguin nests on Proclamation Island, Bounty Islands. […]
A funny finalist for 2022
The funny wildlife photo competition happens every year and one of the finalists this year was a Gentoo & a Magellanic penguin having a heated discussion, or a laugh, or…… https://www.comedywildlifephoto.com/gallery/finalists/2022_finalists.php […]
A rare sight on a Tasmania beach
A king penguin has been spotted more than a thousand kilometres from its home on a southern Tasmanian beach, but a wildlife expert says it may not be lost. It is believed to be only the third king penguin sighting on Tasmanian shores in 15 years. The closest king penguin colony is on Macquarie Island, […]
Keep it Cool Climate Challenge for Conservation Week
September’s Conservation Week was celebrated on the West Coast with a Conservation Fair at Carters Beach and the Trust took part with the fun but serious climate challenge, Keep it Cool. With one player dressed as a penguin and donning several woolly jumpers, the other player tossed a toy Tawaki on a sheet covered with […]
