Back to the South Island we went just a few weeks ago to explore the southern section of the island, beaches, headlands, fiords and mountains— Aotearoa is never lacking for amazing places. Sure enough we “happened” upon a few more feathered friends.
Yellow Eyed Penguins… When I figured out there were penguins in New Zealand, it was a no brainer because I never envision making it to Antarctica— this was the one shot. The yellow eyed penguins are endangered, the rarest of all penguins. We figured out from the guidebooks that if you are at particular beaches an hour before sunset, that’s when the penguins tend to come ashore to feed their chicks, who hang out at the nest in the deep bush just off the shore or beach. So we turned up hoping we might catch a glimpse of a penguin running across the rocky ledges to the bush. Wrong again, there were about fifty people standing on the ledges when we arrived and there was a penguin ten meters away preening himself/herself with oil from its oil gland to keep the feathers in ship shape for tomorrow’s swimming. A Department of Conservation volunteer was on hand to monitor the people who tended to creep closer, though the penguin seemed unbothered.
A couple of more penguins turned up out of the sea and then a “chick” waddled down from the bush hoping that a parent was going to come up and provide a regurgitated fish meal. In fact the chick was nearly the size of the adult and most of the chicks had left, but not this character (a bit on the slothful side I guess). But alas, none of the adults made a move for the chick so back in the bush went the chick. The volunteer said the chick might get a feed later or the parents may have been communicating tough love— time for the chick to get out and fish for itself.
The chick says... "Where's my supper?"
Two days later we headed up the coast to a penguin rehabilitation and research centre and protected area. It was pretty neat. We got a talk on penguin behaviour and then a tour (five of us) out into the protected area where they have visitor blinds so that folks do not disturb the penguins. All the chicks had left and the penguins there were molting, which happens one month a year. During this time the penguins have to stay on land and don’t eat. Our highlight was watching a penguin pop out of the waves and scurry up the beach into the grass… I could not believe how fast a penguin can move on land when it wants too. Very cute!
While waiting for our tour at Penguin Place, we had some time to waste and we heard you could see albatrosses flying from the parking lot of the Royal Albatross Centre without even paying for the tour. Well it did not take long to see them soaring with their 9 foot wingspans. So then we figured we would check out the free museum displays… excellent… so they had us and off we went on the tour to see the albatross chicks on the nests, with parents dropping in and out to feed them. Again their was a glassed in blind so as not to disturb the birds. You have to say the chicks are cute!
It takes them nine months to leave the nest during which time they grow huge to the point that at the end the parents put them on a diet or else they wont be able to fly (they get fatter than their parents).
Even at the size of the one in the picture, the arents n longer can sit n them. Once they are ready to fly and lift off the cliff for the first time, they do not return to land for 5 years (!), circumnavigating the globe in the Southern Ocean across that time. It was amazing to watch them soar through the air.
Albatrosses are diminishing in numbers and 18 species are threatened at one level or another, all the way to endangered. The main problem is fishing boats as the birds are attracted to the fish waste, fish nets and bait hooks and in the process get caught by the hooks or nets as they go over the side. Several organizations are working hard to educate fishermen as there are a bunch of fishing techniques that reduce bird mortality. Seabird Solutions is leading the battle in New Zealand. They are having some success educating fisherman, but the illegal fishery, largely in international waters, is really damaging and accounts for 30% of all fish catches. That is not a pretty picture. The birds are indeed amazing, well worth protecting.
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