The little penguin, our wee blue

Sunday, 20 January 2019

The world's smallest penguin lives all around the coast of Nelson and Tasman, with a sign alerting motorists to their presence on Rocks Rd. But the population of the little penguin is declining.

It seems to be a mystery as to when the sign first appeared there.

The Nelson City Council did not know when it was installed, neither did the Department of Conservation, or NZTA.

Penguins were also known to cross Rocks Rd to nest on the other side, although it had been a long time since ornithologist Pete Gaze had heard of anyone seeing a penguin on the road.

**READ MORE:

The little penguin, often called the little blue penguin or kororā is the world's smallest penguin. They were once common around New Zealand's coast but most are now found on offshore islands.

* How to help our little blue penguins thrive and survive

* Annual die-off of little blue penguins much worse this year

* Penguins take on Rocks Rd traffic**

Gaze said when the old Guytons fish shop was demolished on Rocks Rd as part of the Wakefield Quay development in 2002, a number of little penguins that previously nested under the building were displaced and often seen wandering around the area.

As a result, he believes the penguin sign was erected near the Boat Shed Cafe. Although strangely, it depicts a yellow-eyed penguin, or hoiho.

Often called little blue penguins, their official name is little penguin, or kororoa. They are the smallest penguin species in the world.

'There was one penguin that crossed the road in a stormwater drain and had to be rescued on the landward side by lifting the grill on the edge of the road to grab the penguin out of its quandary.'

Boathouse Community Trust chairman Alec Woods said penguins had been known to nest under the deck of the heritage building and he often saw penguins when he was sailing in Tasman Bay.

Before the ex-tropical cyclones hit last summer, the trust had been looking to become more involved in conservation in the harbour, and long term, wanted to invest in making Haulashore Island a more attractive nesting spot for penguins.

Some of the nest boxes damaged during the storms had not been replaced. But the trust's focus in the last 10 months had shifted to the rebuild of the Boat House building.

'We want to put effort into making Haulashore Island a more welcoming place for penguins to come and nest.

'Rocks Rd is a main highway, it is not ideal to mix penguins with traffic.'

Little penguins are known to nest along Rocks Rd.

Nelson City Council environmental management group manager Clare Barton said penguins had been seen in the area in the last few weeks and were known to nest under some of the buildings along the foreshore.

When Wakefield Quay was redeveloped in 2002, nesting boxes were built specifically in some of the retaining walls to accommodate little penguins.

Signs of a penguin in a recently used nesting box near Rocks Rd.

They had been known to roost on the rocks near the quay and boxes were installed in a bid to make the area more attractive to nesting birds.

When Wakefield Quay was redeveloped, nesting boxes were built specifically in some of the retaining walls to accommodate the penguins.

Forest & Bird top of the south regional manager Debs Martin said little blue penguins were found all along the coastline, from Glenduan in Nelson to Port Tarakohe in Golden Bay.

While the penguins were nesting, she said their biggest threats were dogs and vehicles on the beach.

Last year, little penguins were found dead on several beaches around the region. Several penguins were found dead at Rangihaeta in Golden Bay in September, with another two discovered at Parapara in December.

A dog owner was fined by the Tasman District Council in December after a pair of dogs killed a penguin on Kaiteriteri Beach.

Martin said when one penguin was killed while travelling to or from the nest, that meant the other adult and chick would die of starvation.

'Keeping your dog under control is probably the single biggest thing you could do.'