News

Penguins saved from digger as coastal vegetation cleared

Recent storms coinciding with big seas and high tides led to erosion of the beach and temporary rock protection at Hokitika earlier this month. West Coast Regional Council Chair and Westland District Council Mayor approved emergency works on Friday 12th April.  Although staff did think penguins, they failed to speak to either the West Coast Penguin Trust or DOC and a digger was sent in with a plan to create a road for the earth/rock moving vehicles behind the erosion face. That meant coastal vegetation needed to be cleared. That should have sent alarm bells ringing for everyone involved.  Coastal vegetation is habitat for a variety of species and, in this area, that includes little penguins or kororā. Inexplicably, the decision had been made to access the rocks from the top of the erosion bank rather than, as they did before, make a ramp down to the beach and carry out repairs and rock placement from below, with no impact on vegetation.

Fortunately, Hokitika Guardian reporter, Janna Sherman, rang Trust Manager Inger Perkins the next day, and Ms Perkins was able to go straight to the site with a map of penguin nesting sites in hand. A quick chat to the Henry Adams team project leader making clear that there must be no more vegetation clearance gained immediate understanding and acceptance, quickly supported by WCRC Chair, Peter Haddock in a phone call. The Trust's map showed a nest just metres further north of the digger, so it was stopped just in time.  It may be that the penguins were not at home, but they could well have been hunkering down there after the big storm. There were a few challenges at the time including the serious rain warning event for Westland with an Emergency Operations Centre operating for at least three days prior and then senior staff being at AgFest, a two day event in Greymouth on Friday and Saturday. Natural resources engineer, Kent Jacobsen, came down from WCRC within about half an hour and quickly reviewed the situation and agreed alternative approaches with Ms Perkins to ensure no further vegetation clearance as well as ensuring penguins would have safe access over the rocks before the repair team left the site that day. In a letter to the editor in response to a statement from WCRC published in the local paper, Trust Manager thanked Ms Sherman for the alert and Messrs Haddock and Jacobsen for their swift and positive responses. She added: "I have shared nest site locations as well as locations where dead penguins have been found with both WCRC and Westland DC staff, a protocol has been provided for any coastal rock protection works, all district councils contributed to beach access signs to alert people to the possible presence of penguins, and I have made numerous submissions relating to coastal works or development. "It is therefore extremely disappointing that the work could have started before a discussion could be had with the West Coast Penguin Trust or DOC.  It is extremely disappointing that the option to clear vegetation to create a road to manage repairs to the rock protection from above was chosen rather than the previous approach of creating a ramp and working from the beach.  That option was subsequently agreed and implemented.  There was no need to clear any vegetation. "I am sure that none of those involved – contractor, councillors and staff – would want dead penguins on their conscience or reputation. "Please, for any works in coastal areas – contractors, councils, developers, even kiwi rail – think penguins, think wildlife, think nature.  Disturbing, damaging or clearing coastal vegetation must be a last resort and not undertaken without a thorough assessment of environmental effects.  It may not only provide homes for penguins but also for other protected wildlife such as weka and skinks, it provides amenity and shelter and can help hold sand in place."   Read original news here (Hokitika Guardian) Read follow up news story here (originally in the Grey Star, here from the ODT)  

Remix Plastic, created by Anthea Ibell in Christchurch, has a vision to foster sustainable behaviour and a circular economy. "This vision gives us the focus to carry out our mission of providing education that encourages and empowers individuals to make sustainable changes." A finalist in the 2020 Sustainable Business Awards, Anthea creates beautiful jewellery made from plastic waste diverted from landfill.  Each piece carries a sustainability story. Already supporting Forest & Bird with bird of the century, Puteketeke, earrings and Our Seas Our Future with white feather earrings inspired by the rare black-billed gull, Anthea reached out to the West Coast Penguin Trust. Her little blue penguin / kororā earrings are made from recycled ice cream container lids and are striking in their wonderful blue and white.  $2 from the sale of each pair will be donated to support our penguin conservation projects.  Importantly for many, earring hooks are hypoallergenic stainless steel and all items are shipped plastic free.  Find out more and purchase kororā earrings here and the Remix Plastic website with other wonderful creations is here. Anthea has also created a podcast about sustainability and a circular economy - find episodes here. The three key principles are:

1. Design out waste and pollution
2. Keep products and materials in use
3. Regenerate natural systems

Congratulations and thank you Anthea!

Conservation class at Westland High School saving local penguins

A big thank you to Peter Brailsford's conservation class at Westland High School for the new nest boxes and time spent designing and engineering penguin ramps to help solve the access problem last season at Hokitika Beach for our penguins. We saw a 10 foot wall erosion issue, even bigger than in previous years, and although up to 50 tracks were often counted going to and from the sea each morning, many were seen walking hundreds of metres along the foot of the erosion cliff trying to find an access point up into the dunes and their nests. Many hours have spent by local people, the Trust team and Westland Milk Factory volunteers digging ramps for access, but it was a very time consuming and difficult challenge. The debate is whether the penguins in this local area are used to the erosion issue by now and so will adapt and go elsewhere to breed or to just walk the long distances to get to their nests each day, in which case ramps may not be needed, or whether we will lose these penguins from this area or breeding may be disrupted, perhaps eggs abandoned, and so ramps will keep them here and support successful breeding, but also keep them more protected from threats such as dogs by not having to walk so far along the beach for nest access, out in the open. Peter Brailsford and his class decided that perhaps they could come up with a design of ramp where the penguins could access their nests each day. We put the new ramp out on the beach as a trial run, with a camera to record the usage, however with much technology issues with the camera, we didn't get a confirmed answer as to whether the ramp needed altering or not. Next season we will try again. A big thank you to the students for their time and energy. But particularly to Peter, who turned up on a Sunday afternoon having built a huge ramp and a floatation system. Watch this space!

Following on from previous years of foraging studies in the Charleston area, last season we carried out a pilot study at Camerons Beach.

Following on from previous years of foraging studies in the Charleston area, during the 2023 season we carried out a pilot study at Camerons Beach, tracking the foraging paths of three blue penguins at chick guard stage, when one adult remains to guard and the other goes to sea to forage, over four days. We plan to carry out a more extensive study this coming season. This was the first time we have undertaken any study at the Camerons Beach colony and we plan to continue and expand this project during the 2024 season. We hope this will give us an insight into the foraging areas and patterns of our local penguins in this more residential area of the West Coast. Two important reasons for carrying out a foraging study are firstly, finding out what determines where the penguins are going to find their food source.  Sea surface temperatures? Chlorophyll amounts? Different marine conditions? And secondly, to understand and map where penguins go, which will help us contribute to marine science and spatial planning, to discuss with fisheries and overall, help us to protect our wildlife and the marine ecosystems they rely on. We have carried out foraging studies in the past, at the Knoll and Rahui Colonies, close to the Nile River in previous years and it will be interesting to see the results of this year and make comparisons. Read about these previous studies here. Here are some maps and findings from the pilot study 2023 season:

  Some key points were the average dive depth of 4.29m and average range from home of 26.02kms. Just three dives of the several thousand recorded were over 20m.  In ‘ordinary’ foraging conditions, penguins will generally not be diving deeper than 10m. The furthest point from home reached by these three penguins was 36.4kms.  Other data needs to be interpreted in light of battery failures before the loggers were recovered in 5 out of six trips. The impact of climate change and marine heatwaves with likely increasingly adverse effects on little penguins is a concern.  The adverse effect is possibly due to intensified stratification resulting in reduced mixing of surface and deeper water.  Thus increases in turbidity after rain events take longer to dissipate because sediments are trapped at the surface.  As a consequence, the penguins have to travel further away from the coast to reach cleaner water where they can see adequately to catch prey. Stratification can also disrupt the usual vertical nutrient flow potentially resulting in higher productivity and algal blooms at the surface, which may also inhibit visibility. Key insights from data obtained so far:

1. West Coast kororā showed very shallow foraging behaviour: mean maximum dive depth 4.29m. This could be due to a high proportion of travelling dives.
2. Range for trips average 26.02 kms from home, the furthest being 36.4kms. Compared to a similar kororā tracking study that was conducted at the same time out of Port Taranaki, Camerons beach penguins travelled twice as far away from their nest sites to find food. This raises the question whether this is typical behaviour for the West Coast birds or a result of poor foraging conditions closer to the coast. Additional GPS tracking in 2024 will provide crucial insights.
3. Results are similar to findings from an earlier study from the Charleston study colony with average an range from home of 26kms, some trips up to 36km from home with rare trips up to 60m from the colony, more parallel to coast than perpendicular.
4. All tracks indicate foraging within 110m bathymetric contour approximately.

We are lucky enough to have some eager high school students wanting to analyse the data for us and make some charts and tables. It is always a really great opportunity for both the Trust and school students to collaborate with these sorts of things. Statistics is a compulsory topic at school and, in year 11, 12 and 13, all exams are statistics based, so what a great collaboration and a worthwhile and interesting topic for the students. We look forward to some data analysis from the students soon, but we should note this is just year 1!  We won't be able to read too much into data from three birds performing two foraging trips each though we may be able to review alongside our other foraging study results from Charleston. Our pilot study has however confirmed that this is an excellent study site and we are keeping in close contact with the Guardians of Paroa Taramakau Coastal Area Trust as we go.  

An average year this year for kororā at the different sites up the West Coast.

Knoll Colony, Nile River, Charleston Ranger Lucy reports an average year this year for kororā. At the Knoll, 57% eggs fledged, which was significantly higher than last season’s 35% and 2016 and 2017 seasons (37% & 43% respectively), but still significantly lower than the good seasons of 2020 and 2021 (73% & 82%). The time frame of the breeding season was very spread out this year, with some eggs laid as early as late July (but all failed) and some as late as late October/early November.  The majority were laid mid-August/early September, which is comparable to other years.

Nest box C5 is usually the first to lay eggs and start the season off, according to records and word of mouth, however this year, they didn’t lay until early September and had a failed attempt.  They then tried again with a second attempt in early October, with two chicks successfully fledged. The number of eggs laid was similar to the last few years, ranging between 45 and 49.  The number of failed attempts seems to have risen from 3 per season in past years, to up to 13 in recent years. As the season seems to have got later and more spread out, the failed attempts seem to have increased. This year, we had 11 failed attempts, consisting of 2 burrows that had 1 failed attempt and abandoned breeding after that, 3 burrows that had 1 failed attempt and then went on to breed successfully after that, 2 burrows that had 2 failed attempts and then abandoned for the season and 1 burrow that had 2 failed attempts and then went onto to breed successfully on their third attempt. However, because they are not yet microchipped, we cannot prove this latter pair is the same pair who laid 3 clutches, and this seems unusual.

Table showing comparison between years – breeding at Nile Knoll kororā colony

Year	1st egg laid	Majority of eggs laid	No. of eggs laid	Chicks hatched	Chicks fledged	Failed attempts	Breeding success % (chicks fledged/eggs laid)
2020	17/8	Mid/late Sept	49	39	36	3	73%
2021	13/8	Mid/late Aug	45	39	37	1	82%
2022	27/8	End Aug/start Sept	48	22	17	13	35%
2023	31/7	Mid Aug/start Sept	49	30	28	11	57%

  The other point of interest was that we had natural burrows at the Knoll (and also nest boxes at Camerons) that had had a penguin moulting in the same burrow directly after chicks had fledged, which, having asked advice from Oamaru Blue Penguin Colony scientist, Dr Phillipa Agnew, we learned that this is unusual.  The adults of that burrow would usually go to sea to feed up and put weight on before a moult, meaning that it would have been a different penguin finding shelter for a moult, according to our Dr Agnew.

Rahui Colony, Nile River Our other colony at Charleston, on the Nile River is called Rahui colony. This is on private land so faces fewer disturbances than the Knoll. This is made up of all nest boxes and is also monitored fortnightly. Table showing breeding success monitoring at the Rahui colony

Year	Nests monitored	Breeding attempts	Failures	Fledged chicks	First eggs seen	Breeding success % (chicks fledged/eggs laid)
2021	44	31	1	57	11-Aug	89.10%
2022	45	19	7	19	22-Aug	47.50%
2023	28	23	3	37	8-Aug	80.40%

    Other Buller colonies Joyce Bay, Whitehorse Bay, Punakaiki River, Bullock Creek are all monitored twice per season and they showed similar trends to previous years, with less failed attempts than last year. We also maintain a 23 trap predator control line at Cape Foulwind to protect Wall Island and the sooty shearwaters there. There are penguins nesting there also and this year we had an interesting sharing of burrows with penguins nesting in sooty burrows and then sooties taking back their nests later on in the season. We look forward to setting some camera traps next year to find out what is going on there. All in all, an average season for the Buller kororā, better than last year, but not as good as previous years.

Rangers Sarah Kivi and Ranger Lucy Waller report back from Jackson Head and Knight's Point tawaki Colonies, also having a good season despite El Niño conditions.

Rangers Sarah Kivi and Ranger Lucy Waller report back from Jackson Head and Knight's Point Tawaki Colonies, also having a good season despite developing El Niño conditions.

Jackson Head and Knight’s Point Tawaki Monitoring 2023

  Jackson Head Aim: Tawaki nests were monitored for survival and breeding success or failure due to predation or other causes, and to assess general chick growth and apparent health as an indication of food supply, etc. Method: Jackson Head had 17 nest checks completed twice in the season, the first carried out during the egg-laying time, the second in chick guard stage, when one adult remains with the chick and the other goes to sea for food.   Results/Conclusions for the season Nest checks The first check showed 16 nests occupied and 28 eggs total and the second check showed 17 nests occupied, 1 failed attempt, 18 chicks including 3 nests with 2 healthy, similar sized large chicks. A good season for Jackson Head.

    Knight’s Point Aim: Tawaki nests were monitored for survival and breeding success or failure due to predation or other causes, and to assess general chick growth and apparent health as an indication of food supply, etc. Method: Knight's Point had 14 nest checks completed twice in the season. The first at egg stage and second at guard stage.   Results/Conclusions for the season Nest checks The first check showed 13 occupied nests and 20 eggs total and the second check showed 14 nests occupied, 2 failed attempts, 1 nest not breeding, 2 nests with eggs, and 13 chicks including 3 nests with 2 healthy, similar sized large chicks. A good season for Knight's Point too.

Tawaki Ranger, Catherine Stewart, reports on the interesting 2023 tawaki season at Gorge River.

The last big El Niño year was a disaster in the Tawaki colonies, with most chicks starving to death, hence we were all anxious going into this season knowing it was another El Niño year.  However it was an entirely different story this year. At Gorge river, 9 out of the 10 monitored nests with camera deployments were successful, with at least 4, probably 6 or 7, raising a double clutch. (As chicks from different nests often sit together, it can be hard to tell when they are from the same nest, unless they are seen chasing the same parent for food.) The most important thing to mention, is that in the last 9 years, only one nest has definitely been seen raising a double clutch - two chicks. So this was a very different El Niño year!  

Tawaki Ranger, Catherine Stewart, reports on the interesting 2023 tawaki season at Gorge River.

Gorge River Tawaki Monitoring 2023

  Aim: Tawaki nests were monitored for survival/failure due to predation and to assess general chick growth and apparent health as an indication of food supply, etc. Method: 27 nests were checked 5 times between 18/8/23 and 8/11/23 at intervals of 10 days to 3 or 4 weeks. 10 of these nests had Little Acorn trail cameras set. An additional 16 nests known from previous years were checked on 18/8/23. Two lured cameras were set early in the season and again at the end. The cameras were baited with sausage in a fine metal mesh ball inside a tin can wired to a tree approx. 1m above the ground.   Results/Conclusions for the season Nest checks Most birds were sitting on eggs by August 18^th. Of the additional 16 old nests, 13 showed no sign of having been used. At 2 nests, sitting birds jumped off, possibly suggesting new pairs, and subsequently these were found empty with no sign of egg-laying. The last nest is an old one which has been used continuously (mostly with success) for more than 10 years, but no egg has been seen since 2021. A bird was sitting but not seen on subsequent visits. There was no sign of hatching at the end of August. All eggs were hatched by September 22nd. Chicks appeared well-fed throughout the season and grew quickly. As few chicks were seen during nest checks later in the season, it is assumed, from the earlier evidence, that they survived, though we could only confirm 2 successful nests that were additional to those monitored with cameras. Nest cameras Of the ten camera-monitored nests, one was found empty on September 22nd but, due to camera/operator failure, no reason could be determined. Although 2 adults remained for approx. one more week, the egg was no longer present. When a nest was seen on September 22^nd with 2 healthy chicks present, a nearby camera was shifted over to it. The following 2 weeks showed them persisting into the post-guard phase when chicks are left alone and both adults leave to forage. Eight (probably nine) of the ten camera-monitored nests were successful. Photos were reviewed from September 22nd to November 8th. Double clutching where two chicks were raised was seen in 6 (possibly 7) of these nests near or after the end of the guard phase. The presence of 2 chicks was confirmed beyond the middle of October in 2 of these. The other 4 nests are considered likely to have raised both chicks; however no photo actually showed 2 chicks together with the parent that would have distinguished them from 2 chicks from separate nests crèching together. During the nest check on November 8th, a pair of chicks was seen in a feeding chase after the same adult. These were likely from the other monitored nest. Camera Traps: Using the same protocol as last season, two camera traps were run for 21 days from August 31st. As one camera failed to record anything, they were both re-baited and set for another 21 days from September 22nd, and again from November 8th. Result: Several rats and possums were seen near the bait and just one stoat, at the end of November. Just one stoat was seen on a camera. Subsequently 2 chicks were still present and were raised successfully. Tracking Tunnels: Not run this season.  

Catherine Stewart, West Coast Penguin Trust, February, 2024

 

Collaboration to protect shore birds

Concern has prompted the design and installation of two new signs at the Fox River parking and camping area north of Punakaiki. Both locals and visitors were concerned to see tourists and particularly dogs in areas where birds were resting and nesting on the island and at the beach around the mouth of Fox River.  As freedom camping has ramped up in this beautiful spot, with more New Zealanders camping with their pets, there are more dogs and more people enjoying the area, all the fun potentially impacting birds such as variable oyster catchers and spotted and pied shags now and in the longer term. The West Coast Penguin Trust has penguins as its main focus but the vision is "Sea and shore birds, and their habitat across the West Coast Te Tai Poutini, are healthy and thriving." So when the trust was asked for help to raise awareness, we stepped up, designed a sign and appealed to Buller District Council and DOC to print and install it, which they kindly and generously have done. The signs have just been installed and they look fantastic, raising awareness as intended and prompting discussion. We have heard: "The wording is spot on and non confrontational and the general feedback already is very positive about how they are welcoming but educational and preventative. Today's campers were having positive conversations about them'" An excellent bit of community collaboration to protect shore birds. The wording is as follows: BIRD RESTING & NESTING AREA FOX RIVER ISLAND AND COAST Oyster catchers, spotted shags, pied shags and other sea and shore birds rest and possibly nest on the river island beside the camping area.  Others nest on and close to the beach.  This is home for wildlife and cared for by the Fox River community. Dogs are welcome in the car park and at the beach on a lead or under very close control. Please, no dogs on the island.

A gift in your will helps the West Coast Penguin Trust to protect little blue penguins - kororā, Fiordland crested penguins - tawaki, Westland petrels - tāiko, and other threatened seabirds.

A gift in your will helps the West Coast Penguin Trust to protect little blue penguins - kororā, Fiordland crested penguins - tawaki, Westland petrels - tāiko, and other threatened seabirds. If you are one of the four in ten New Zealanders who have not yet written a will, you are clearly not alone. Gathered Here has recently launched a free online will-writing service in New Zealand to make it simpler and more accessible for all adults.  Provided you don’t have great complexity to your family and your estate, their easy to use template will help you write your will in no time.   Start writing your online will for free   Not only have Gathered Here made this task, one that so many of us keep putting off, very easy, they have also linked it to charities like the West Coast Penguin Trust.  They have found that many people would like to include their favourite charity or charities in their will but don't know how.  As a result, only a few percent of wills include charities.  But by using this simple template, that percentage rises significantly, as people like you and me are enabled to add a charity, or more than one charities, very easily. For these reasons, the West Coast Penguin Trust has partnered with Gathered Here to offer you the opportunity to write your free online will and receive unlimited updates for life. Get rid of that nagging worry that you really should have done it by now!

Find out more here...

... and one click from that page takes you to the template and gets you started. There is no need to include our charity or any charity.  The free template can be used by anyone.  It will prompt you to consider how your estate should be divided, who should be your executors, who you would like to receive precious items and other handy things like looking after your pet and your funeral wishes. Feel free to Email us by clicking here  

I have had a fantastic first season in the field this year. It has been so interesting to follow the season and watch the adults prepare their nests, lay eggs, incubate, little black golf balls of fluff turn into larger brown balls of fluff and then the alopecia style hair do's of brown fluff and the mullets and then the day you arrive and there is nobody home..... they have fledged the nest and we say good luck to them.

I have had a fantastic first season in the field this year. It has been so interesting to follow the season and watch the adults prepare their nests, lay eggs, incubate, little black golf balls of fluff turn into larger brown balls of fluff and then the alopecia style hair do's of brown fluff and the mullets and then the day you arrive and there is nobody home..... they have fledged the nest and we say good luck to them. Ever wondered what blue penguins look like at each stage of their lives? And what my Ranger role entails? Some photos courtesy of Oamaru Blue Penguin Colony and some from the local colonies - enjoy! It has been very exciting for local school students to have a visit from the ranger who is still covered in mud and poop, smelling like penguins, with fresh photos from the colony that morning. We have all enjoyed the journey this season!