Ian’s Bird of the Week – Fiordland Penguin

September 6, 2014 by Ian

Ian’s Bird of the Week – Fiordland Penguin ~ Ian Montgomery

Newsletter – 9-5-14

I was talking with a friend the other day about visiting New Zealand and my experience with photographing Fiordland Penguin in Milford Sound, so here it is as bird of the week and a change from Where to Find Birds in Northern Queensland. It was my main reason for visiting Milford Sound, better known perhaps for its spectacular scenery and natural beauty, but if you go looking for wildlife then you find yourself in wonderful places anyway.

I camped the previous night in my rented campervan at Cascade Creek in Fiordland National Park, the nearest camping site to Milford Sound. It’s still a fair drive, so atypically I got up before dawn when the temperature was 3ºC to get to the sound early enough to get on the first tourist boat, as I’d been told that this provided the best chance of seeing the penguins. The boat I went on was one of the smaller ones so there were only a dozen or so passengers. I had a chat with the crew as departed and they were optimistic about finding the penguins.

Within ten minutes of leaving, they had located a nesting pair on the rocky shore. Very obligingly, they reversed the boat to what seemed perilously close to the rocks so that I could get some photos. The first photo shows one of them near the entrance to its nesting burrow, while the second is its mate wandering over the rocks closer to us.

I was very glad I’d make the early start, as we didn’t see many more penguins, though we did come across the party in the third photo about 20 minutes later. The bird in the foreground with the pale cheeks is a juvenile. An easier place to see them is Taronga Zoo in Sydney where their glass-sided tank provides great views of them at their best: they’re much more elegant gliding effortlessly through the water than hobbling around on rocks.

The wild population is estimated at about 3000 pairs and has suffered from predation by introduced mammals and the native Weka which has been introduced to some islands where the penguins breed. I did see Wekas at Milford Sound, but I don’t know whether they are a problem there. The Fiordland Penguin is closely related to the Snares and Southern Rockhopper Penguins.

While on the subject of animals that are expert swimmers and clumsy on land, I’ve just completed a new gallery of turtles and their relatives on the website. It contains a rather motley collection that I’ve stumbled across when birding, including the marine Green Turtle, above, four Australian and an American freshwater species, a South African and an Asian tortoise. This Green Turtle was grazing on the mooring cable, visible on the right, on a visit Michaelmas Cay off Cairns last year with my sister Gillian from Ireland. I’m going on a visit to Ireland in ten days time. Next week I’ll tell you more about my plans and some of the birds that I hope to bring your way.

Greetings
Ian

**************************************************
Ian Montgomery, Birdway Pty Ltd,
454 Forestry Road, Bluewater, Qld 4818
Tel 0411 602 737 ian@birdway.com.au
Bird Photos http://www.birdway.com.au/
Recorder Society http://www.nqrs.org.au

Lee’s Addition:

The birds of the air, And the fish of the sea That pass through the paths of the seas. O LORD, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth! (Psalms 8:8-9 NKJV)

What an interesting bird to switch to. The Fiordland Penguins are neat looking with that eyebrow stripe and those feathers at the end of it. Penguins definitely “pass through the paths of the seas.” Also, did you notice he was out there in 3C, that is 37.4F for us North Americans. (Brrr!)

Penguins are members of the Spheniscidae – Penguins Family which has 18 members. Ian has photos of half of the Penguin Family on his Birdway site. The Fiordlands are “medium-sized, yellow-crested, black-and-white penguins, growing to approximately 60 cm (24 in) long and weighing on average 3.7 kg (8.2 lbs), with a weight range of 2 to 5.95 kg (4.4 to 13.1 lb). It has dark, bluish-grey upperparts with a darker head, and white underparts. It has a broad, yellow eyebrow-stripe which extends over the eye and drops down the neck. Most birds have three to six whitish stripes on the face.” (Wikipedia)

Ian’s Bird of the Week

Penguin Family at Birdway

Spheniscidae – Penguins Family

African Penguins at the Lowry Park Zoo

December 1, 2013 by Lee

African Penguin (Spheniscus demersus) by Lee LPZ

He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. (Psalms 91:4 KJV)

When we went to the Lowry Park Zoo yesterday and enjoyed seeing the normal birds and animals that our Lord has created for us to observe. The African Penguins need to be highlighted. One young immature penguin caught my attention. He or she was in the process of shedding it “peach fuzz.” (That is my term.)

The top photo shows a young penguin is already wearing a normal “coat of feathers.” Then I spotted a younger African Penguin standing next to its parent. Sizes of parent and youth were almost the same, but appearances were quite different.

African Penguin parent and young one by Lee LPZ

When it turned around, I thought, that is one that only a mother could love. :)

African Penguin (Spheniscus demersus) by Lee LPZ

“The African Penguin (Spheniscus demersus) is also known as the Blackfooted Penguin. …They have a black stripe and black spots on the chest, the spots being unique for every penguin, like human fingerprints. They have pink sweat glands above their eyes. The hotter the penguin gets, the more blood is sent to these sweat glands so it may be cooled by the surrounding air, thus making the glands more pink. The males are larger than the females and have larger beaks,” (from Lowry Park Zoo Penguins) That is what that pink is above the eyes. They belong to the Spheniscidae – Penguins Family.

African Penguin (Spheniscus demersus) by Lee LPZ

The African Penguin is a pursuit diver and feeds primarily on fish and squid. Once extremely numerous, the African Penguin is declining due to a combination of threats and is classified as endangered. It is a charismatic species and is popular with tourists in the region.

African Penguin wing with feathers appearing.

As their name suggests, African penguins live in Africa. They are mostly found on small islands off the coast of southern Africa. African penguins have two nicknames — black-footed penguins and jackass penguins. The first name comes from their black feet. The second comes from the sound they make. When African penguins call out, they shriek like donkeys.

African Penguin (Spheniscus demersus) in transition

Chicks fledge at 60 to 130 days, the timing depending on environmental factors such as quality and availability of food. The fledged chick then go to sea on their own and return to their natal colony after a lengthy time period of 12–22 months to molt into adult plumage. When penguins molt, they are unable to forage as their new feathers are not waterproof yet; therefore they fast over the entire molting period, which in African Penguins takes about 20 days.

African Penguin molting it’s “Peach Fuzz” by Lee LPZ

“Baby African penguins have gray down feathers covering their entire bodies when they first break out of the shells. Then, their backs turn gray-blue and their bellies white. They don’t yet have white bands on their faces and black bands across their chests like their parents. Baby African penguins are helpless, so their parents do not leave them alone. There is always one parent staying home to take care of the young. The other goes out to catch fish and squid. Baby African penguins grow fast. In about 8-18 weeks, they are ready to bid their parents goodbye and live by themselves.” (edhelper.com)

(Information from various websites)

African Penguin Information – Lowry Park Zoo
Penguin World
African Penguin – Wikipedia
Sounds – xeno-canto
ADW
edhelper.com
Spheniscidae – Penguins Family

Here are all the photos I took of the Penguins. Some are not so good, but I was trying to capture my little “peach fuzz” penguin.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Ian’s Bird of the Week – King Penguin

December 29, 2011 by Lee

King Penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus) 1 by Ian

Ian’s Bird of the Week – King Penguin ~ by Ian Montgomery

The Royal Penguins may have won the bird of the trip award on the basis of character, but the sartorial crown went to the King Penguin also very common on the beach at Macquarie Island. We’ll see later that they also won the Worst Dressed Award. The adult King Penguins were magnificently turned out, and strode importantly around, very erect with chests puffed out as in the first photo. (If their suits hadn’t been pure silk, they might, however, be considered slight spivvy.)

They alway seemed to have some consequential to do, such as this one calling at intervals trumpet-like and being listened to deferentially by its followers and being answered in a similar vein by another leader at some distance.

King Penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus) 2 by Ian

If you sat quietly on the beach, they would, like the Royals come over to inspect you, but they didn’t seem to approve of what they found.

King Penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus) 3 by Ian

When called upon to do something undignified like feeding an unrelenting chick, they did so with an expression that suggested that this should really be done by a wet nurse, and the neighbours would turn avert their gaze disdainfully.

King Penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus) 4 by Ian

The chicks, of course, won the Worst Dressed Award and the adults, whenever possible, disowned them so that were forced to huddle in a creche at the unfashionable end of the beach.

King Penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus) 5 by Ian

The chicks look as if they’re preening, but they are really trying to rip off their awful yeti outfits. You can see that some of them have nearly succeeded. This is a transformation to rival any emerging butterfly, and if Hans Christian Andersen had known about King Penguin chicks he would have chosen them rather than cygnets for his Ugly Duckling fairy tale.

King Penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus) 6 by Ian

Meanwhile, at the other end of the beach, the King Penguins stride officiously towards an Elephant Seal lumbering out of the water. I couldn’t resist converting this into a comic-strip cartoon using an iPhone app called Halftone http://www.juicybitssoftware.com/halftone/ .

King Penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus) 7 by Ian

As you can imagine, it was a special day on Macquarie Island.

I’m continuing to put photos from the trip on the website and there are now 650 Australian bird species there. You can check the latest updates here: http://www.birdway.com.au/#updates .

Best wishes

Ian

—
Ian Montgomery, Birdway Pty Ltd,
454 Forestry Road, Bluewater, Qld 4818
Phone: 0411 602 737 +61-411 602 737
Preferred Email: ian@birdway.com.au
Website: http://birdway.com.au

Lee’s Addition:

Now Ian has gone to making cartoons. Ian, that must have been an exciting special day. From your writing, your pleasure shines through. Thanks for sharing your great photos with us again. Stay tuned for Ian’s next adventure. Can’t wait to see some more of his photos from that trip.

Penguines are in the Spheniscidae – Penguin Family of the Sphenisciformes Order. Penguins are the only family in the Order. Check out Ian’s Penguin photos at his Birdway.com site. He has photos for 9 of the 18 species of Penguins.

The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will. (Proverbs 21:1 KJV)

Ian’s Bird of the Week – Yellow-eyed Penguin

November 22, 2011 by Ian

Yellow-eyed Penguin (Megadyptes antipodes) by Ian 1

Ian’s Bird of the Week – Yellow-eyed Penguin ~ by Ian Montgomery

Newsletter – 11/22/11
I had intended the Fiordland Crested Penguin at Milford Sound to be the next bird of the week, but since then I have photographed the unusual and rarer Yellow-eyed Penguin at the well-known colony on the Otago Peninsula near Dunedin and chosen it instead.

I went there in the evening as this is the time when the fishing member of the breeding pairs returns to relieve the incubating or baby-sitting member. The bird in the first photo is an adult that has just returned to the colony. The adults are distinguishable by having the yellow band joining the eyes around the nape of the head.

Yellow-eyed Penguin (Megadyptes antipodes) by Ian 2

The bird in the second photo is another adult. Yellow-eyed Penguins are quite large, up to 79cm/31in in length and weighing up to 8kg. The males are larger than the females and penguins in general have heavy bones by bird standards to help them dive. When the pairs are reunited they typically perform mutual preening as in the third photo.

Yellow-eyed Penguin (Megadyptes antipodes) by Ian 3

The total population of the species is about 2,000 pairs, mainly on Auckland and Campbell Islands, with about 150 pairs on Stewart Island and about 500 on the South Island. It has suffered from loss of coastal forest and still suffers from predation by introduced mammals such as feral cats. It is classified as endangered, but the population has been relatively stable over the last 30 years.

Yellow-eyed Penguin (Megadyptes antipodes) by Ian 4 juvenile

The bird in the fourth photo is a juvenile (they don’t breed until they are 3 or 4 years old) and lacks the yellow band on the back of the head.

More than 20 years ago, when on Stewart Island, I booked to go on a boat trip to an island that had both Yellow-eyed Penguins and Wekas, a large flightless rail. The weather was so bad that the trip was cancelled and both these species had represented unfinished business. On this trip I encountered Wekas at Milford Sound.

I’m in Dunedin for a second time now, having needed to drive to Christchurch to return the camper and then flown back. This produced a strangely disorientating feeling of deja-vu, as you quite reasonably expect to end up somewhere else after a flight, not where you’ve just been the day before. I have met up with my 3 travelling companions from Victoria and we are all excited at the prospect of sailing for the Sub-Antarctic Islands tomorrow. So, don’t expect another bird of the week or any communication for that matter until we reach Hobart where we are due on 1 December. I hope that by then I’ll have many more photos to share with you.

Best wishes

Ian

—

Ian Montgomery, Birdway Pty Ltd,
454 Forestry Road, Bluewater, Qld 4818
Phone: 0411 602 737 +61-411 602 737
Preferred Email: ian@birdway.com.au
Website: http://birdway.com.au

Lee’s Addition:

Ian has been putting out his newsletters close together lately. Most likely since he knows he will be away from an internet connection for awhile. This newsletter was received several days ago, but decided to space it to fill the gap of time before his next one arrives. I am looking forward to what this next part of his trip produces.

Penguins are in the Sphenisciformes Order. The family, Spheniscidae, is the only one in the order. The 18 Penguins are in 5 genera; Aptenodytes, Pygoscelis, Eudyptes, Megadyptes and Spheniscus. Check out Ian’s Penguins and the the complete Spheniscidae family here.

Let heaven and earth praise Him, The seas and everything that moves in them. (Psalms 69:34 NKJV)

National Aviary – Penguin Encounter

August 25, 2010 by Lee

African Penguin (Spheniscus demersus) at NA by Lee

African Penguin (Spheniscus demersus) by Dome at NA by Lee

The National Aviary’s Penguin Point area is home to Stanley, Elvis, Patrick, Simon, Sidney, Preston, Dotty, Kristen, TJ, and Rainbow. At least that is the names of the ones listed on the African Penguin page. We enjoyed taking pictures of them, but did not figure out who was who. The area has a dome that sticks up and you can make your way to it and look at the penguins up “close and personal.” Of course, I had to go check it out. Even caught Dan taking pictures of the penguins while I was inside looking out.

Meet a patient – Jamie-Vet Tech with leg cast

They have several penguin feeding times during the day and a penguin talk – to learn more about the penguins. In the Penguin Point Vestibule they have a “Meet a Patient” talk by one of the “bird medical” staff. There you are told about one of the patients in their hospital. Jamie, the Veterinarian Technician was telling about one of the ducks. He showed a cast used for a broken leg. Unfortunately, we missed most of the talk and only got in on the last part of his presentation.

The African Penguins (Spheniscus demersus), which they have at the Aviary, are the only penguins that breed in Africa. They are also known as Black-footed Penguins. Their home is on the “south-western coast of Africa, living in colonies on 24 islands between Namibia and Algoa Bay, near Port Elizabeth, South Africa, with the largest colony on Dyer Island, near Kleinbaai. Because of their donkey-like braying call they were previously named Jackass Penguins. Since several species of South American penguins produce the same sound, the African species has been renamed African Penguin, as it is the only penguin species that breeds in Africa. The presence of the penguin gave name to the Penguin Islands.” (Wikipedia)

African Penguin from inside the dome at NA by Lee

African Penguins are 68-70 cm (26.7-27.5in) tall and weigh 2-5 kg or 4.4-11 lbs. “They have a black stripe and black spots on the chest, the pattern of spots being unique for every penguin, like human fingerprints. They have pink glands above their eyes. The hotter the penguin gets, the more blood is sent to these glands so it may be cooled by the surrounding air, thus making the glands more pink. The males are larger than the females and have larger beaks, but their beaks are more pointed than those of the Humboldt. Their distinctive black and white colouring is a vital form of camouflage–white for underwater predators looking upwards and black for predators looking down onto the dark water.” (Wikipedia) Our Creator has provided a built-in air conditioner and protection for them.

I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are mine. (Psalms 50:11 KJV)

At one time the African Penguin population had 1.5 million members, but because of threats such as egg gathering, or egg smashing, taking their burrowing material for fertilizer, oil spills and other threats, the number was only 10% of that by 2000. The natural predators include “sharks, cape fur seals and, on occasion, orcas. Land-based enemies include mongoose, genet, domestic cats and dogs – and the kelp gulls which steal their eggs and new born chicks. I don’t know for a fact, but their decline to a “vulnerable species” is probably why they are at the National Aviary and also the Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa, Florida (we saw some there also). They are trying to protect and breed them.

How long shall the land mourn, and the herbs of every field wither, for the wickedness of them that dwell therein? the beasts are consumed, and the birds; because they said, He shall not see our last end. (Jeremiah 12:4 KJV)

African Penguins are in the Spheniscidae Family of the Sphenisciformes Order. They are the only family in the Order and have 19 species of penguins.

Lee's Birdwatching Adventures Plus

Birdwatching from a Christian Perspective

Tag Archives: Spheniscidae

Ian’s Bird of the Week – Fiordland Penguin

African Penguins at the Lowry Park Zoo

Ian’s Bird of the Week – King Penguin

Ian’s Bird of the Week – Yellow-eyed Penguin

National Aviary – Penguin Encounter

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this: