To South America and back – the Westland petrel annual migration
August 18, 2023
To South America and back - the Westland petrel annual migration
To South America and back – the Westland petrel annual migration
To South America and back - the Westland petrel annual migration
A Department of Conservation team, with field work led by Westport based biodiversity ranger, Kate Simister, has been funded to conduct three years of research into Westland petrels / tāiko. The funding comes from the Conservation Services Programme, which monitors the impact of commercial fishing on protected species, studies species populations and looks at ways to mitigate bycatch. The new funding has allowed the work programme to expand to cover a range of new projects not previously attempted with this species. These include:- Understanding burrow occupancy rates in this species to determine how burrow mapping and nest counts can be related to numbers of breeding pairs. In particular how the status of apparent non-breeding birds occupying nest sites changes over time (e.g. are these pairs skipping breeding attempts, failed breeders or do these birds lack a partner?)
- Investigating the diving behaviour of Westland petrels using time-depth records to determine their risk profile from fisheries methods such as surface and bottom long-lines.
- Carry out multi-year tracking of adult birds using Global Location Sensing tags to determine extent of time spent within the New Zealand EEZ and elsewhere in the Southern Hemisphere.
- Track juvenile birds to determine if they migrate to seas beyond New Zealand.
- Testing of different tag attachment methods for GPS or Argos passive integrated transponder tags.

Wilderness Lodge Lake Moeraki welcomes back the tawaki for the 2023 season
August 10, 2023
The first sign of the arrival of tawaki on our beaches each year is a set of footprints by the 4 to 4.5kg male penguins leading from the Tasman Sea across the beach and heading to the coastal forests to start their breeding season.
Wilderness Lodge Lake Moeraki welcomes back the tawaki for the 2023 season
The first sign of the arrival of tawaki on our beaches each year is a set of footprints by the 4 to 4.5kg male penguins leading from the Tasman Sea across the beach and heading to the coastal forests to start their breeding season.
Since 1989 when we opened Wilderness Lodge Lake Moeraki each year at the beginning of July we have welcomed Tawaki/Fiordland Crested Penguins returning to the Lake Moeraki coastal forests to start their 5 month breeding season. They have swum about 2,000 kilometres from their Sub-Antarctic Convergence summer feeding grounds halfway between New Zealand and Antarctica. This is a remarkable journey. Satellite transponder studies by the Tawaki Project (see photo from winter 2020) show they may have swum a total of nearly 10,000km over that 6 month period.
The first sign of Tawaki's arrival on our coast are a set of footprints by the 4 to 4.5kg male penguins leading from the Tasman Sea across the beach heading to the coastal forests. Males are joined about two weeks later by the slightly smaller 3.5 to 4kg female. The pair are both exceptionally chubby in preparation for the demands of the breeding season.
It is so exciting for us to see them meet their mate after an absence in the wildest oceans on earth where they are apart for 6 months or more. They don't show much excitement and just stand facing each other, occasionally mutually grooming and beak touching. Over the next five months, we will closely monitor Tawaki at the South Westland breeding colonies that we have studied and helped to protect for the last 33 years. Penguin numbers counted at our study colonies have nearly tripled over our 33 year study period (see graph below), helped by effective pest control by DOC and ourselves, prohibition of dogs on this coastline and public education and careful management of people by Wilderness Lodges of New Zealand, DOC, the West Coast Penguin Trust and the Tawaki Project.


Dr Gerry McSweeney has been monitoring tawaki or Fiordland crested penguins as they come and go near the Wilderness Lodge he opened back in 1989. Careful recording of numbers of penguins seen throughout the breeding season has developed into an invaluable source of data. In recent facebook posts, which have been picked up by the media including an interview on RNZ recently, Gerry shares the excitement of tawaki arriving, the positive trend in numbers and the joy of being near these handsome birds. We have collected together some of those stories into one place for easy access. 1: West Coast story "Rare penguins swim 2000km to return to the West Coast". https://westcoast.co.nz/news/tawaki-swim-2000km-to-return-to-the-west-coast/



Wilson’s little penguin – Eudyptula wilsonae
June 27, 2023
A new species of fossil penguin has been named Eudyptula wilsonae after the late New Zealand ornithologist Kerry-Jayne Wilson MNZM, who was an internationally respected seabird researcher and advocate for conservation.
Wilson’s little penguin – Eudyptula wilsonae
A new species of fossil penguin has been named Eudyptula wilsonae after the late New Zealand ornithologist Kerry-Jayne Wilson MNZM, who was an internationally respected seabird researcher and advocate for conservation.
A new species of fossil penguin has been named Eudyptula wilsonae after the late New Zealand ornithologist Kerry-Jayne Wilson MNZM, an internationally respected seabird researcher and advocate for conservation, and chair and scientist for the West Coast Penguin Trust. New penguin species are being found and fitted into the jigsaw of the origins and lineage of penguins by a team from Massey University, Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa and Bruce Museum in the USA. This one, related to the little penguin or kororā of today, was found in three-million-year-old sediments in the Taranaki region.

13th Oamaru Penguin Symposium – appreciation for past and emerging scientists
June 7, 2023
Kerry-Jayne Wilson MNZM and emerging penguin scientists were recognised at the recent Oamaru Penguin Symposium.
13th Oamaru Penguin Symposium – appreciation for past and emerging scientists
Kerry-Jayne Wilson MNZM and emerging penguin scientists were recognised at the recent Oamaru Penguin Symposium.
Our late great Chair, Scientist and guide, Kerry-Jayne Wilson MNZM, loved the biennial Oamaru Penguin Symposium and encouraged any of our Trust team to attend if they could. Over the years, the symposium has moved from a little or blue penguin, kororā focus, to other Aotearoa New Zealand penguins, other penguins in far off lands and other threatened seabirds. In May, the 13th symposium was again arranged and presented by Dr Philippa Agnew, Research and Environmental Scientist at the Oamaru Penguin Colony. It was the first symposium since Kerry-Jayne died in March last year and, with the support of Philippa and Dr Thomas Mattern, we were able to acknowledge the tremendous contribution that Kerry-Jayne made to penguin and seabird science and scientists in New Zealand and Australia. To open the symposium, Dr Mattern gave a tribute to Kerry-Jayne and shared a wonderful story of chasing tawaki in Harrison Cove, Doubtful Sound a few years before she died. It's a lovely story and you can enjoy it on this short recording from the symposium on our Vimeo page - or play from the image below. Before she died, Kerry-Jayne published a book that had been in her mind for many years, New Zealand Seabirds - A Natural History. Her Trustees found one remaining copy at Kerry-Jayne's home after she died and thought it would be fitting to present it at the symposium. We agreed that it would go to a young and emerging penguin scientist whose presentation at the symposium stood out. Blake Hornblow was chosen from some outstanding young scientists for his work and presentation entitled Foraging ecology of Tawaki (Fiordland penguin) in Doubtful Sound and a summary of his excellent paper is copied below. Congratulations to Blake and to all the young scientists and all the presenters at a superb symposium.
The Little Blue Bach and a tale of generosity
June 7, 2023
Bach owners Daniel Beetham and his Mum Anna McKay are penguin champions.
The Little Blue Bach and a tale of generosity
Bach owners Daniel Beetham and his Mum Anna McKay are penguin champions.
Bach owners Daniel Beetham and his Mum Anna McKay are penguin champions! We love to share a story of our supporters now and then and Daniel and Anna are overdue for our enormous thanks and appreciation. Based up in Auckland but falling in love with the West Coast, a few years ago Daniel bought a tiny bach, Woodpecker Bay Bach, on the edge of the ocean between Punakaiki and Charleston. His plan was to make it available for holiday bookings and his bach became a star - voted best bach in its first year!


Penguin protection fence extended
June 7, 2023
With penguins thriving on the side of the penguin protection fence north of Punakaiki, numbers appear to be growing and penguins are exploring beyond the ends of the fence through gaps. One of those gaps has just been filled.
Penguin protection fence extended
With penguins thriving on the side of the penguin protection fence north of Punakaiki, numbers appear to be growing and penguins are exploring beyond the ends of the fence through gaps. One of those gaps has just been filled.
With little penguins thriving on the sea side the West Coast Penguin Trust's penguin protection fence north of Punakaiki, penguins are starting to explore beyond the three colonies that were protected and finding their way past the ends of the fence through gaps. Sadly one penguin has been killed on the road and others have been rescued and returned to the sea side of the fence. We're therefore thrilled to report that one of those gaps in the fence has just been filled, protecting penguins at the northern end of the main fence line just in time for the new breeding season. Our thanks go to WestReef for getting the work done the minute they were able to including the traffic management and other safety measures, and to Waka Kotahi for both permission and support through an annual grant to help maintain the fence. We would also like to thank Geofabrics New Zealand for the very generous discount on the special fence mesh. Geofabrics (then Maccaferri) helped us out in the same way when we first installed the penguin protection fence back in 2014. The mesh has stood up to the coastal assaults of sun and salt brilliantly, just as expected.
Qualities of penguins embraced and extended to penguin conservation
April 13, 2023
Qualities of penguins embraced by pension company and extended through a donation to help penguin conservation
Qualities of penguins embraced and extended to penguin conservation
Qualities of penguins embraced by pension company and extended through a donation to help penguin conservation
Pension Insurance Corporation or PIC for short loves penguins and last year gave the West Coast Penguin Trust a very generous donation. This UK company has had emperor penguins at the centre of their brand from the start. Their website notes that the penguins are memorable and intrinsically appealing and of course the West Coast Penguin Trust knows that is true for all penguins. PIC has translated the qualities of emperor penguins into their own qualities and the PIC team strive to emulate them every day, loyalty, adaptability and resilience.

We say a farewell and a huge thank you to Linden as Trust Ranger
April 12, 2023
We say a farewell and a huge thank you to Linden as trust ranger.
We say a farewell and a huge thank you to Linden as Trust Ranger
We say a farewell and a huge thank you to Linden as trust ranger.
Linden Brown joined the trust in the middle of the 2021 breeding season and, with some guidance from our previous ranger, Matt Charteris, we were delighted that he hit the ground running. Field work is his passion and he brought considerable field work experience from his monitoring roles with the Department of Conservation. Completing the monitoring and reporting for the 2021 season enabled Linden to approach the 2022 season with clarity and preparedness. It was a big disappointment to him and to us all when the pin had to be pulled on the foraging study due to the unusual and clearly stressful conditions the penguins were in, apparently due to the marine heat wave. Although his heart was in the field work, Linden provided excellent insights and advice for the behind the scenes work of the trust, including funding applications and reports and advocacy. While Education Ranger, Lucy Waller, was stuck overseas due to COVID travel restrictions, Linden also stepped up to help lead education and awareness opportunities in the classroom at the beach, proving that he could be the all rounder needed as a ranger. Sadly though, a couple of things drew him away, firstly wanting to do more field work and less time at a desk and secondly, building a new home. He is the Trust's third ranger to have resigned to put time into building a home! The Trust is grateful to Linden for his contribution and flexibility and wishes him well in future endeavours.

Ōkārito kororā colony gets a visit
February 2, 2023
Healthy, safe penguin colony south of Ōkarito is thriving without disturbance.
Ōkārito kororā colony gets a visit
Healthy, safe penguin colony south of Ōkarito is thriving without disturbance.
The West Coast Penguin Trust has maintained an active interest in the Ōkārito kororā colony since it was first surveyed in 2008 and has resurveyed the colony every few years since then.

2008 | 2013 | 2015 | 2018 | 2022 | |
Ōkārito North | 18 | 21 | 13 | 10 | 17 |
Ōkārito South | 33 | 34 | 26 | 14 | 22 |
Total | 51 | 55 | 39 | 24 | 39 |

A poor breeding season for blue penguin/kororā
February 2, 2023
2022 proved to be a challenging season for kororā on the West Coast.
A poor breeding season for blue penguin/kororā
2022 proved to be a challenging season for kororā on the West Coast.
The 2022 breeding season proved to be a challenging one for kororā on the West Coast. Our monitored sites at Charleston had a late start to the breeding season, with the first eggs laid in late August, two to three weeks later than normal. From then on kororā bred in a slow trickle, with eggs still being laid in late October. Sadly, over half of these eggs did not reach hatching after being abandoned by the adults. Lack of easily available food is the likely cause of this poor breeding season, with the adults having to take long foraging trips at sea whilst the other parent stayed on the eggs. If the changeover time is too long then the adult on the eggs will have to abandon the eggs in order to feed themselves. This meant we had a low rate of breeding success, with only 35% of eggs successfully fledging in one colony and 45% in the other. This is comparable to some previous poor seasons such as 2016 and 2017 (37% & 43%), but significantly lower than the last two seasons (80-90%). Kororā lay two eggs and two chicks will fledge in good years - two chicks fledged from two eggs would be 100% breeding success. We also record chicks per nest, and this year, over the 27 monitored breeding burrows, the average was less than one chick fledged per nest.Site | Breeding burrows | Breeding attempts | Eggs laid | Chicks hatched | Chicks Fledged | Chicks per breeding attempt | Breeding Success | Failed attempts |
Rahui | 20 | 21 | 42 | 23 | 19 | 0.90 | 45 % | 6 |
Nile | 27 | 24 | 48 | 22 | 17 | 0.71 | 35 % | 13 |
Site | Number of breeding burrows |
Joyce Bay | 8 |
Whitehorse | 9 |
Bullock Creek | 4 |
Punakaiki River | 1 |
