News

We would love you to have a walk on your local beach and let us know if you find any penguin tracks as part of the annual count.

 

An early morning walk 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 - as well as energise you for the day!

 

We have selected dates when the tide will be low early in the morning to keep you safe and to offer the best chance of seeing penguin tracks crossing the freshly washed sand.  You can add your observations any time, but always pay special attention to tide times and conditions.

 

We're getting back to paper and pencil this year!  Here's a simple form: 2021 blue penguin count form to print and take with you or take some paper for a tally and note the key observations.  And then share your results with us either on our super simple Google Form, or email them to us - scan the form or just email your findings.

 

Alternatively, you can use i-Naturalist (look for our Project) - more about that on our penguiin count website page. 

 

The key things to look for are fairly straight lines of footprints heading from the dunes to the sea from those penguins that have left early.  They will be foraging at sea all day and returning after dark to feed chicks at this time of year - we're keen to count the numbers who have headed out again before dawn.  The spread of the three toes make an angle of less than 90 degrees, nearer 70 degrees, whereas many other seabirds have their toes spread wider than a right angle.  They are also a little turned in, or 'pigeon toed'!  (We can rename it penguin toed!)

 

We have put together some information to help identify tracks here: Penguin and other footprints.

And as an aside, if you like being a detective at the beach, have a look at this excellent footprint identification resource from NZ Tracker.

 

Please think of safety before you venture out.  Walking on our wonderful beaches soon after sunrise is often a magical experience but there are a few safety messages.  Check the tides before you go and remember to watch out for the waves – never turn your back on them, and if you come across a seal, give them a wide berth of at least 20 metres if possible. Tell someone where you are going and when you expect to be back.

 

Why not go for a walk with family or friends?!

Have fun, and thank you - we look forward to hearing how you get on and please send us photos from your walk!

Linden Brown takes on the Trust Ranger role on 26th October 2021.

From many excellent applications for the 20 hours a week Trust Ranger role, the Trust has recently appointed Linden Brown and he takes on the role from 26th October. The Trust is sad to be farewelling Ranger Matt Charteris, who is leaving to focus on other conservation projects and build a new home, but we will maintain close ties with him on future blue penguin projects on his doorstep in Charleston. Linden grew up on the South Coast of New South Wales, spending much of his childhood swimming in the ocean, and running around in the nearby forests. After completing a Bachelor of Environmental Science at the University of Wollongong, he spent six months volunteering on Raoul Island which ignited a passion for conservation in New Zealand. This has taken him to other predator-free islands such as Hauturu and Whenua Hou, giving him a glimpse of how New Zealand wildlife can thrive when given the chance. For the last five years Linden has called the West Coast home, working in the DOC Biodiversity Monitoring Team in Hokitika monitoring vegetation, birds and introduced pests.  He brings a broad set of skills and experience to the Trust including planning and delivering field work, leadership, processing monitoring data and high standards of safety on top of a strong scientific background. The Ranger role encompasses field work during the penguin breeding season, a year round trapping project at Cape Foulwind, planning field work and supporting our tawaki rangers in South Westland and volunteers on other projects such as Seal Island trapping, gathering, reviewing and analysing data - whether breeding success or predator numbers, writing up findings, staying on top of the latest penguin science and techniques, community engagement, and advising the Trust as to improving current and developing new research and practical conservation projects. Although handling penguins is minimal and minimised, relating only to the GPS foraging study of blue penguins or rescuing any sick or injured penguins that might be brought to our attention to transfer to penguin rehabilitators, Linden also has some useful wildlife handling experience.  His broad set of conservation skills and his versatility allowed him to spend a month assisting the Kakapo Team in 2019, where he gained valuable skills and experience including wildlife handling and bird health checks. During his spare time Linden enjoys recreating on the West Coast, where you will be able to find him kayaking on a river, spending time in the mountains, or riding his bike. The Trust is delighted to welcome Linden into our small team.

We are thrilled to announce that Kerry-Jayne Wilson's eagerly anticipated book specifically about the seabirds of New Zealand is to be published in October.

We are thrilled to announce that Kerry-Jayne Wilson's eagerly anticipated book specifically about the seabirds of New Zealand is to be published in October. This has been a labour of love for Kerry-Jayne, who has had a passion for seabirds for many years, and the new book, being published by Potton & Burton, looks superb with stunning photographs. New Zealand is often described as the seabird capital of the world - rightly so as no other country has so many species of breeding seabirds, while about a third of them are only found here. The book will be an essential companion for anyone who appreciates the wildlife of our coastlines and the oceans beyond.  And we know that means you. Find out more about the book, have a sneak preview inside and get your order in for one of the first to come hot off the press here: https://www.pottonandburton.co.nz/product/new-zealand-seabirds/

As part of an occasional series featuring species and their photographers by the team at the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, Kerry-Jayne Wilson was invited to tell the story of the Westland petrel.

As part of an occasional series featuring species and their photographers by the team at the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, Kerry-Jayne Wilson was invited to tell the story of the Westland petrel. 'Discovered' in 1945 as a new species, the Westland petrel or taiko has been of interest to ecologist and ornithologist Kerry-Jayne since the 1970s when she discovered it on caving trips around Punakaiki. Here, she tells a bit of their story, using her own and other photos from the DOC Ranger leading the Westland petrel work, Kate Simister. https://www.acap.aq/latest-news/4154-featuring-acap-listed-species-and-their-photographers-the-westland-petrel-by-kerry-jayne-wilson Note: In the photo above, Kerry-Jayne was doing field work and the bird landed close to her.  We encourage people to stay away from all wildlife to avoid disturbing them and we do all we can to minimise our own interactions with wildlife in the course of our conservation work. Westland petrel with egg on nest (photo: Reuben Lane)

Robin Long's survey of 40km of the rugged north coast of Stewart Island for tawaki has been published in Notornis, the journal of the Ornithological Society of NZ, this month.

Robin Long's survey of 40km of the rugged north coast of Stewart Island for tawaki has been published in Notornis, the journal of the Ornithological Society of NZ, this month. Robin, the Trust's new Chair, has been surveying tawaki nests since the age of 14.  In recent years, she has extended the search from South Westland to Stewart Island to help better understand the range and size of the tawaki population there. Last year, in 2020, along with Simon Litchwark, she surveyed the coast of Port Pegasus and, the year before, they surveyed a section of the northern coast. The rigorous process of write up and peer review of a report covering the 2019 survey has resulted in the publication of a paper by the pair in the latest edition of Notornis, 68(3): pages 183–187. They conclude that a significant breeding population is present and needs to be considered in future management plans for the species. Also that additional surveys to cover the remaining coastline would be useful. Read the paper here.

Sadly, the reduced traffic on our roads did not save this blue penguin from a fatal impact with a vehicle.

The following post contains images that may be disturbing. Sadly, the reduced traffic on our roads did not save this blue penguin from a fatal impact with a vehicle. The penguin was found beside the Coast Road and delivered to West Coast Vets in Greymouth.  Through the Trust's education programme, vet Marjan Sprock led dissection classes for senior biology students at John Paul II High School last year and kindly offered to do a post mortem on this penguin.  For those of us not used to seeing the inside of once living being, the images are gruesome but Marjan's notes and the images tell a powerful story. Although there was barely a mark on the penguin, the massive internal injuries are the result of an impact with a vehicle.  This is a reminder to everyone who cares about our penguins and wildlife to drive a bit slower after dark on coast roads.  Penguins could be crossing at any time under cover of darkness.  If you drive a little slower, you might have a fraction more time and be able to safely avoid hitting a penguin.  Please pass on this important message. Here is Marjan's report. 

• On the outside there were no lesions or wounds, so a dog attack is very unlikely.
• There was no fat under the skin, but the muscles on the breast bone were still well developed.  [i.e. it was not starving]
• Under the skin there were already signs of a bleeding present.
• When opened further, the abdomen and its organs on the penguin's left side were ruptured.
• Its left side of the pelvis and lower spine were severely broken, with the head of the femur out of the pelvis socket.
• The right hand side of the abdomen contained lots of blood.
• It was a male penguin.
• Due to the pressure build-up in the abdomen of the supposedly "hit by a car" accident, 1 cm of the inside of the cloaca was pushed outside the rectum.  [A cloaca is the intestinal, genital, and urinary tract combined together in one unit in animal anatomy.]

While writing this news item, we heard that another blue penguin has been killed, this time on the coastal cycle trail in the Greymouth area, and this time most likely by a dog.  So two lessons from these sad events - please:

1. Drive a little more slowly at night on coast roads
2. Keep dogs on leads in coastal vegetation areas including paths and trails.
3. Share these messages.

Outgoing Trust Chair, Reuben Lane, introduces the Annual Report and shares some highlights from the 2020-21 year.

Outgoing Trust Chair, Reuben Lane, introduces the Annual Report and shares some highlights from the 2020-21 year. Having been involved in blue penguin monitoring over many years, I was particularly pleased to see the progress on tracking blue penguins supported by the New Zealand Penguin Initiative. We have learned a great deal about the threats to penguins on land over the years and extending our interest into the marine environment with greater rigour will help us better understand the ecology of these smallest of penguins as they forage off the West Coast. Also with the support of the NZPI, we are increasingly inserting Passive Integrated Transponders, or PIT tags, under the skin of blue penguins in our monitored Charleston colonies. The internal microchip can be read by a special antenna, either a handheld wand or a loop that penguins walk over or under.  We hope to install a fixed PIT tag reader soon and that will launch our knowledge to a much higher level as we learn about partner and nest fidelity, returning chicks and so much more. We were all relieved to learn that predation by stoats did not eventuate to the high post mast levels forecast, but we took the opportunity to extend our knowledge about the behaviour of both stoats and tawaki in our three study colonies in South Westland and we have been working with the Department of Conservation to improve predator control in areas where tawaki breed. Bringing penguin detection dog Mena and handler Alastair Judkins to the coast for a couple of weeks was also a highlight. It was wonderful to see the Vizsla get to work to find traces of penguin scent and help identify and confirm blue penguin presence in some key locations. Several of the schools we work with were fortunate to have Alastair and Mena join them during his time on the coast. Read the full report with updates on our many projects and sincere thanks to our many sponsors, donors and Supporters here: WCPT Annual Report 2020-21

The Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds want the world talking about the African penguin, a penguin that requires urgent conservation intervention.

The Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB) want the world talking about the African penguin, a penguin that requires urgent conservation intervention.  They have shared their concerns among the global penguin community and we are sharing their concern through our networks as follows: The African penguin census for South Africa in 2021 is in, and we are now looking at ~10 400 breeding pairs.

• This represents an additional loss of 25% (about 3000 pairs) of the population from 2019 when the last assessment was done.
• There are NO colonies in South Africa with > 5000 breeding pairs, actually, none with >2000 breeding pairs
• 5 colonies have gone extinct since 2005
• The species is now easily at <3% of historical numbers

You are all well aware of the threats they face and what’s being done to prevent mortality, promote breeding success and recruitment. It’s the improvement of their access to food that we are particularly worried about. We (3 NGOs of SANCCOB, BirdLifeSA and WWFSA) have been engaging on a number of fronts to address this, not the least of which is with the Minister (Forestry, Fisheries and Environment). The Minister has initiated a process within government to look at the state of knowledge (as relates to island closures); assess knowledge gaps and come up with recommendations. That synthesis report has been drafted, and the team are now busy drafting recommendations. This is a very good thing. The decision on the way forward on Island Closures will be made by the Minister before the end of this year. Recently, a company called Red Rocks produced a documentary for Netflix called 'Penguin Town'. It was filmed at Simon’s Town, with a little bit on site at SANCCOB too. It is a series of 8 episodes, each about 30min each. They have taken a rather different approach from the usual documentary and have used the science to construct a story that enables the whole family to watch. Despite the anthropomorphic take on it, the series does a great job of story-telling, yet at the same time provides very good subtle messages that older audiences will get – just how hard life is for these birds. So if you haven’t watched it yet, please do! Trailer here Following on from this fun Netflix series, we have just filmed a more ‘serious bit’ with some of our partners where we are trying to get the more serious conservation message across. While the video lists some of the threats, we focus on the food availability issues, and are hoping that information it provides enables people to voice their support for the conservation of the species. You can find the video here: How To Save Th African Penguin Panel Discussion - YouTube We’d like to get this out as far and wide as possible and get the world talking about the African penguin. It’s the only species in Africa, and one of 18 (currently) in the world. I know you all know this, but we want to get the message out that this is a global issue, not just a South African/African problem. The other critical message of course is that conservation is everyone’s responsibility, not just for the authorities or NGOs and other conservation related organisations. People need to be using their voices; make environmentally sound decisions etc. So can I ask you to also encourage your networks to engage on: #SaveTheAfricanPenguin so we can keep the conversation going about the plight of African penguins, and also encourage each other to do what we can to make a difference. For further background information, there is the IUCN RED list species fact sheet that people can look at, and we have also created a page dedicated to the African penguin and what people can do at the following link: Save The African Penguin Dr Lauren Waller Leiden Conservation Fellow SANCCOB | S A Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds

   

After two years as Trust Chair, Reuben Lane has stepped down as both Chair and Trustee for the next year to focus on other projects and, at the recent AGM, Robin Long was elected as Chair.

After two years as Trust Chair, Reuben Lane has stepped down as both Chair and Trustee for the next year to focus on other projects and, at the recent AGM, Robin Long was elected as Chair. The Trust is very fortunate to have Robin taking on this role, bringing a great deal of field experience and wisdom to the role as well as five years' experience as a Trustee. Robin Long grew up at Gorge River in remote South Westland and became interested in birds and her surrounding environment from a very young age.  After becoming fascinated with the local breeding population of tawaki (Fiordland penguins), she started carrying out surveys for the Trust at age 14 and has since counted over 1400 nests spread throughout South Westland, Fiordland and Stewart Island.  This helped to better estimate the total tawaki population. Working for DOC in Hokitika monitoring birds, pests and vegetation for the past seven summers allowed her to spend a couple of months each year surveying tawaki and monitoring nests, as well as helping the Tawaki Project to research the 80% of the time that these penguins spend at sea. She is now studying a Postgraduate Diploma in Wildlife Management at Otago University and plans to complete a Masters on alpine jumping spiders – a group of endemic New Zealand species we know nothing about.  For the same reasons she became interested in tawaki when they were poorly known, Robin is passionate about protecting other species that are generally overlooked and receive little or no funding. In her spare time, she enjoys rock climbing, tramping, botany, a range of crafts, and has built herself a tiny house in Hokitika.

Conservation Services Programme funding means more work is underway to understand and better protect Westland petrels - tāiko.

The Conservation Services Programme(CSP) funding means more work is underway to understand and better protect Westland petrels - tāiko. The CSP monitors the impact of commercial fishing on protected species, studies species populations and looks at ways to mitigate bycatch.  Funding comes from levies on fisheries and it is a fundamental principle of CSP that once a bycatch problem is successfully addressed, levies will no longer be charged for that interaction. CSP research projects include interaction studies, bycatch mitigation, population management plans and populations studies.  New work is now underway to examine the population dynamics of the Westland petrel, led by DOC Buller/Kawatiri and with the help of ecological field contractors, Reuben Lane and Matt Charteris, both closely connected to the West Coast Penguin Trust. Work is underway to attach tiny GIS dataloggers to the legs of breeding and non-breeding birds.  These tiny loggers are expected to remain in place for 1-2 years.  Data collected from foraging trips is downloaded during field visits when the birds are in their burrows. In addition, a new GPS transmitter is being trialed for the first time with Westland petrels, the Icarus tag. Also tiny and incorporating a miniature solar panel, these transmitters are attached to tail feathers and will transmit location data continuously.  The tail attachment has been found to be better than on the back of petrels in studies with the Chatham Island tāiko, allowing the birds to preen their feathers more easily and reducing the potential risk of it rubbing it off when coming and going from the burrow.

Matt and Reuben have been out with DOC biodiversity ranger and project leader, Kate Simister recently, monitoring birds and adding the tags.