Penguins!!!

Today I saw two different kinds of penguins in Oamaru. Penguins are not very common in New Zealand. In fact, the two types of penguins that I saw today are endangered. From a distance I saw three yellow eyed penguins glide onto a beach and run around together. Yellow eyed penguins will not come onto the beach if they hear or see people, so I walked a track (trail) up high above the beach and watched quietly for them there. I was very lucky to see them arrive on the beach a couple hours before dusk. My next stop of the evening was at the Oamaru Blue Penguin Colony, which is a protected area where the Little Blue Penguins may be viewed from a safe distance. The Blue Penguin is the smallest penguin in the world. It is bluish in color and incredibly loud when it calls out to other penguins. At dusk, groups of Blue Penguins group together to form rafts and then body surf into the rocks of the shore. These penguins then use their very sharp talons to grip the rock and hop up to shore. Blue penguins are nocturally active on land, which is why dusk was a good time to see them. Some of these penguins were very fat, as some were molting. The penguins that were molting would sometimes tip over because they were so fat for only being 28 cm tall. The penguins would then wait in small groups to cross from the safety of the rocky shore to their nests. They would wait at the edge of the small clearing until one penguin would bravely race for the nesting area. Once one brave penguin made a break for the nesting area, the other penguins would quickly race behind her/him. Tonight I saw 49 penguins at the Blue Penguin Colony. People are not allowed to photograph blue penguins because it disturbs them too much. I watched the penguins for about an hour and a half before leaving for the night. Penguins are fascinating and adorable creatures! It was a wonderful day!


Oamaru Blue Penguin Colony Website: www.penguins.co.nz/