Luxury beachfront accommodation for penguins

Chris Hishon (front) and
Richard Heyward with their
purpose-built nest boxes for
the Fiordland penguin.
Credit: Real Journeys

NEW ZEALAND - The proactive and DIY attitude of two Real Journeys staff, combined with support from the Leslie Hutchins Conservation Foundation, has led to the creation of luxury beachfront accommodation for rare Fiordland penguins at Milford Sound’s Harrison Cove.

Chris Hishon, skipper of the overnight Milford Sound cruise boat, the Milford Mariner, and nature guide Richard Heyward have constructed purpose-built nest boxes for the penguins in a bid to provide them with a safe breeding haven, particularly for their susceptible chicks.

The two men's ongoing concern with protecting the species started about five years ago, when Heyward began a stoat-trapping programme in prime Fiordland penguin sites around Milford Sound.

“The programme was undertaken to protect the breeding pairs and their very vulnerable chicks. Due to the success of the trapping penguin chick survival rates have increased and there has been a marked growth in the number of penguins returning each year to Milford Sound to breed,” said Heyward.

In addition to stoat trapping they have spearheaded a possum-trapping operation over the past two years at Harrison Cove.

“Possum numbers had got so high foliage was being stripped from some plant species, preventing rejuvenation and leaving penguin nesting sites significantly more exposed to the elements,” said Hishon.

“In the last two years Real Journeys’ crew have trapped around 100 possums in the Harrison Cove area where the Milford Mariner moors overnight. While this means improved protection for the surrounding vegetation it is also indicative of the large possum population in the Milford Sound area.”

During their trapping forays ashore Heyward and Hishon became aware that there was a shortage of good natural nesting habitat to support the growing Fiordland penguin population.

“To some extent the birds were being forced to nest in exposed places and we felt that if the nesting success rate was to continue the penguins needed more sheltered habitat in Harrison Cove," said Heyward.

The Department of Conservation gave them consent to construct nesting boxes and the Leslie Hutchins Conservation Foundation provided funding for the building materials.

“With the approval and funding in hand we got cracking in my garage and built six spacious tantalised plywood nesting boxes complete with individual verandas," said Hishon.

“The boxes were then transported by Real Journeys’ coach to Milford Sound and taken to Harrison Cove by cruise boat. Richard and I had a great time installing the new beachfront units around the outskirts of the coastal breeding area.

"We made them look as natural as possible, from a penguin’s perspective, camouflaging them with vegetation and rocks.”

With the project complete, all Real Journeys Milford Sound staff, but no one more than Heyward and Hishon, are waiting in anticipation to discover whether the Fiordland penguins approve of their new luxury waterfront accommodation.

“The birds will start to return to Milford Sound in the next few weeks for the breeding season and understandably we are anxious to see if the additional breeding habitat in Harrison Cove meets with the satisfaction of the penguins.

"If it does then ultimately it will lead to a boost in numbers of this important and very rare species.”

Source
Luxury Milford Sound beachfront penguin accommodation, 15 August 2012, Real Journeys

From physicsworld.com: How do you recognise a penguin in a crowd?

In less than 100 seconds, Peter Barham explains how penguins possess unique coats.

Source
How do you recognise a penguin in a crowd? by Peter Barham, 14 August 2012, physicsworld.com

Another Fiordland penguin turns up across the ditch

AUSTRALIA - Another Fiordland penguin has made its way from New Zealand to Australian shores, this time to a beach in Denmark, Western Australia, The West Australian reported.

The young bird, estimated to be about 10 months old, was found on 15 July. Veterinarian David Edmonds told The West Australian that the penguin would have left New Zealand's South Island in November, meaning it would have been travelling for six months - over half its life! - and covered a distance of 3,500 km.

When the penguin arrived at Denmark Veterinary Clinic the poor thing could barely stand and had an eye injury. Now it can walk around and the injury has healed, but it still needs to put on some weight to get its current 1.7 kg up to around 3.5 kg.

The crested penguin, confirmed as a Fiordland by bird expert Ken Simpson, may be the first of its species to arrive in Western Australia this year, but it is actually the fifth Fiordland to arrive on the continent - two have turned up in Victoria and two in South Australia.

Once it has been rehabilitated the penguin will be released back into the wild.

Source
Penguin washes up on WA beach by Toyah Shakespeare, The West Australian, 30 July 2012

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Beanbags proposed to protect penguins from seals

AUSTRALIA - Another suggestion from the Kangaroo Island Penguin Centre in South Australia to reduce the number of New Zealand fur seals in the area has received no support from the SA Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources (DEWNR), ABC News reported.

The island's New Zealand fur seal population was almost eradicated by commercial sealing in the 1800s, but their numbers are now about 25,000. While this is good news for the seals, some Kangaroo Island residents believe these predators are responsible for the decline of the local little penguin population, which is a major tourist attraction.

To protect the penguins, the Penguin Centre's owner John Ayliffe proposed firing lead-filled beanbags at the fur seals as a deterrent.

He told ABC News, "The beanbags are simply kevlar bags full of lead shot and they're discharged by a shotgun ... [the beanbag] hits the seal like a punch and it will not penetrate the skin provided it's fired from sensible distances. Now seals are very smart and they move away from an area if disturbed."

However, the DEWNR responded with the following statement:

"Interactions between New Zealand fur seals and penguins are a natural phenomenon over which humans have little control. New Zealand fur seals are native to Australia and New Zealand, including Kangaroo Island waters, and the population is only now recovering from commercial sealing."

New Zealand fur seals are protected under the National Parks and Wildlife Act.

Earlier in the year, another suggestion from Mr Ayliffe to reduce seal numbers met a similar response. In May, the Sunday Mail reported that, after his request for a seal cull or sterilisation programme was rejected by the DEWNR, Mr Ayliffe proposed a legal harvest of aggressive male seals.

"Harvesting is a major tool used internationally to manage numbers .... Penguin numbers have halved at Kingscote so it is important that seals are managed away from colonies at Kingscote, Penneshaw and Granite Island to ensure tourism assets stay viable," Mr Ayliffe told the Sunday Mail.

The South Australian fishing industry was supportive of the intervention. The DEWNR, however, was not.

A DEWNR spokeswoman said, "The Government does not support culling, sterilisation or relocation of NZ fur seals in SA. Attempts interstate and overseas to manage seal populations through culling, sterilisation or relocation have proven resource-hungry and largely ineffectual and any benefit received from relocating a small number of seals would likely be lost due to the influx of new seals."

So, for now, it looks as if the natural predator-prey relationship between the fur seals and penguins will continue without human intervention.

Sources
Firing at seals urged to protect penguins by Rebecca Brice, 24 July 2012, ABC News
Kangaroo Island may cull New Zealand fur seals to save penguins by Heather Kennett, 5 May 2012, Sunday Mail (SA)

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As many Pertinent Penguin posts show, penguins face a lot of threats. But their biggest threat may be the world's exploding human population. Because of our behaviour, we lose thousands of species to extinction every year. It is estimated that by 2100, 1 in 10 species will be extinct.

This thought-provoking infographic from OnlineMastersDegree.com illustrates not just the terrifying scope of our destruction, but three simple changes we as individuals can make to our routine to reduce our collective footprint.

Created by: www.OnlineMastersDegree.com

Puzzling penguin deaths in Brazil under investigation

BRAZIL - Autopsies are being conducted after 512 dead Magellanic penguins were found on beaches in Brazil's southern Rio Grande do Sul state, AFP reports.

The Center of Coastal and Marine Studies (Ceclimar) said that around 30 samples from the penguins were being analysed by veterinarians at Porto Alegre University and results were to be released within a month.

The large number of dead penguins and the fact that the birds appear to be well fed, not exhausted, uninjured and untainted by oil has veterinarians puzzled, Celclimar said.

In its coverage of the event, BBC News said that similar incidents in the past have been blamed on shifting ocean currents and colder temperatures.

Magellanic penguins breed in southern Argentina and Chile. Their annual migration, between March and September, takes them north along the Rio Grande do Sul coast up to Sao Paulo.

Read related article

Sources
500 penguins found dead on Brazil beaches, 14 July 2012, AFP
Brazil biologists investigate penguin deaths, 14 July 2012, BBC News
 

The penguin formerly known as No.337 formally named Sazanami

JAPAN - Although the media waves he created were anything but small, Tokyo Sea Life Park's penguin No.337 has been named "Sazanami", which translates as "small waves", AFP reports.

Sazamami sounds similar to how "337" is pronounced in Japanese, the aquarium said in a statement, and also he "... came back to the aquarium just as waves ebb and flow, which was another reason for the name".

The competition to name the Humboldt penguin, who spent 82 days at large after escaping from his enclosure, attracted 6,400 entries.

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Source
Runaway penguin in Japan gets new name, 11 July 2012, AFP