Adelie penguins' underwater life caught on video

Adelie penguins. Photo by Martha de
Jong-Lantink. Some rights reserved.

ANTARCTICA - Back in 2004, the emperor penguins at "Penguin Ranch" on McMurdo Sound became underwater reporters when, with cameras strapped to their backs, they revealed for the first time a penguin's-eye view of their watery world. Now Adelie penguins are sharing their secret life under the ice as part of a scientific investigation conducted by the National Institute of Polar Research, Japan.

An institute spokesman, Hiroyasu Kumagae, told Reuters, "Fundamentally, Adelie penguins spend much of their lives during the summer under the sea ice, so it's hard for humans to observe them in their natural habitat. ... So the researchers got the idea of putting cameras on the penguins and getting them to act as 'cameramen'."

The Japanese researchers attached tiny (21mm x 80mm) video cameras to the backs of 15 Adelie penguins with special tape. The cameras were set to automatically switch on when the penguins entered the water. Video footage was successfully retrieved from 10 of the "penguin-cams" and it is believed that the footage, which will be available when the researchers return to Japan later in March, will be a world first.

The institute said the images of life under the ice were captured with surprising clarity.

Kumagae assured Reuters that the cameras did not harm the birds. "I think they probably didn't like having the cameras attached very much, though course I don't know how a penguin thinks. It would have felt that it was carrying something but otherwise there was no stress on its body, and its movements were unlimited." 

Sources
"Penguin-cam" reveals secrets of life below the ice by Elaine Lies, 8 March 2011, Reuters
"Penguin Ranch" reveals hunting, swimming secrets by James Owen, 30 January 2004, National Geographic News

The scientists and the mystery of the vanishing emperor penguin colony

Emperor penguins. Photo by StormPetrel1.
Some rights reserved.

ANTARCTICA - A small colony of emperor penguins has disappeared from Emperor Island off the West Antarctic Peninsula. The finding (or loss) was published in the February edition of the journal PLoS One, where the researchers said it was the first time the disappearance of an emperor colony has been documented. So where did the penguins go and why?

Where they went is a mystery. Lead author Phil Trathan from British Antarctic Survey said, "It is not clear whether the colony died out or relocated. Emperor penguins are thought to return each year to the sites where they hatched, but the colonies must sometimes relocate because of changes in the sea ice."

As to why, it looks like the effects of climate change have struck again. The colony's disappearance has been attributed to a reduction in sea ice, which the emperors need for breeding and foraging.

The colony was found in 1948 when scientists observed 150 breeding pairs gathering on the island. The number of penguins in the colony has been declining steadily since 1970, and in 2009 a high resolution aerial survey showed no trace of the colony. This decline in numbers relates closely to a rise in local air temperature and seasonal changes in ice duration, which are associated with - you guessed it - climate change.

"It is clear that emperor penguins are vulnerable to changes in sea ice and the one site in Antarctica where we have seen really big changes in ice is the West Antarctic Peninsula. For much of the 20th century, this region has warmed at an unprecedented rate, particularly in recent decades," said Dr Trathan.

He added, "Continued climate change is likely to impact on future breeding success."

The paper also looked at alternative reasons behind the colony's disappearance. The authors discounted competition from fisheries and the impacts of tourism, and said there was no data to support the ideas that disease or unusual weather conditions were responsible. However, they stressed the need for similar studies elsewhere in the Antarctic to reduce uncertainty about risks to emperor penguins.

Source
First recorded loss of an emperor penguin colony, 10 March 2011, British Antarctic Survey

PLoS One citation
First recorded loss of an emperor penguin colony in the recent period of Antarctic regional warming: implications for other colonies. Trathan P.N., Fretwell P.T., Stonehouse B. PLoS One 6(2). 28 February 2011.

Positive breeding season for yellow-eyed penguins

Yellow-eyed penguin. Photo by
mat79. Some rights reseved.

NEW ZEALAND - There's some good news for yellow-eyed penguins on the Otago coast: the Department of Conservation (DOC) has recently finished its pre-fledge nest checks and told the Otago Daily Times that overall it's been a very positive breeding season.

This good result comes despite an outbreak of avian diptheria that hit the Otago Peninsula and caused the death of about half the chicks at Boulder Beach and Sandfly Bay, leaving only 70 chicks to fledge.

DOC ranger Mel Young told the Otago Daily Times that there were about 485 nests along the coast, which was similar to the previous breeding season. Even better, most of the eggs hatched and the majority of chicks survived to the pre-fledge check and have since fledged slightly earlier than normal.

During the pre-fledge check, chicks that were found to be significantly lighter than the ideal fledge weight of 5kg were transferred to Penguin Place's penguin hospital to be "fattened up".

There was also good news from Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust field manager Dave McFarlane, who said it had been a "pretty positive" season for the trust's reserves. He told the Otago Daily Times that average chick weights were slightly up on last year and nest numbers were similar to other years. 

Source
Breeding season very positive: DOC by Rebecca Fox, 5 March 2011, Otago Daily Times

"Intensive" program to protect Manly's penguins

AUSTRALIA - Following a devastating dog attack on Manly's little penguin colony in December last year, the NSW Department of Environment Climate Change and Water (DECCW) and Manly Council have announced a new action plan to protect the endangered birds in the upcoming breeding season.

"Manly's little penguin population is the subject of one of the most intensive threatened species programs in the country," DECCW Deputy Director and National Parks head Sally Barnes said.

The new action plan aims to reduce the chance of dog attacks - the biggest threat to birds in the area - by introducing a policy of zero tolerance for people ignoring leash-only areas at Manly Cove, including Federation Point where the December attack occurred.

The plan, which is to be in place before the beginning of the breeding season in July, also includes expanding Manly Council’s existing Wildlife Protection Area, upgrading fencing on the Federation Point boardwalk, using CCTV to monitor the Federation Point nesting area, research and tailored education campaigns to improve community education, and discussions with fisheries and maritime authorities about boating strategies that may reduce disturbance to the penguins.

"A key part of the plan is an investigation into extending declared critical habitat to Federation Point. This process is well underway, with a formal request having been made to the NSW Scientific Committee seeking their advice on the matter," Ms Barnes said.

Manly's endangered population is estimated at about 60 breeding pairs, most of whom nest within critical habitat areas in Sydney Harbour National Park. About five pairs breed either under Manly Wharf or at Federation Point.

"The population does appear to be fragile but stable, with our monitoring showing a trend upwards since 2002 and evidence the birds are looking at areas outside their core breeding habitat," Ms Barnes said.

While DECCW and the Little Penguin Recovery Team are still finalising a monitoring report for the 2010/11 breeding season, Ms Barnes said preliminary monitoring data showed the population had experienced a strong breeding success (76%) this season.

"However there were fewer breeding pairs and therefore fewer eggs and fewer fledglings, which seabird scientists suggest was due to the poor shape the birds were in when they arrived," she said.

"Our threatened species team believes this is most likely due to oceanic conditions and a lack of small fish for adult breeding birds."

Source
Zero tolerance for dog owners next penguin breeding season, 4 March 2011, Department of Environment Climate Change and Water

On-the-spot dry cleaning for oiled penguins

Little penguin on Phillip Island.
Photo by Marcus Frieze.
Some rights reserved.

AUSTRALIA - Humans often get their tuxedos dry cleaned and now penguins can too! Researchers John Orbell from Victoria University and Peter Dann from Phillip Island Nature Parks have found a way of "dry cleaning" oiled penguins which they have been successfully testing on little penguins on Phillip Island, Victoria.

Oil is a major problem for penguins worldwide and cleaning oiled birds is a tricky business. The problem, Dr Dann told The Sydney Morning Herald, is that rubbing the detergent through the feathers disrupts the feather structure, which is actually what makes them waterproof. "It can take weeks or months until they can get their feathers back to a condition where they are waterproof.''

The new technique, on the other hand, leaves the feather structure intact. It involves sprinkling the penguin with an iron powder that absorbs the oil. The powder is then removed from the bird with a magnet. What makes it even better is that the oil and the iron powder can be separated and the powder reused.

Dr Dann said the aim was to clean the penguins on the spot as they returned to shore, since moving the birds to another location to clean them was more disruptive.

The method can be used on seals and sea otters as well as seabirds.

Phillip Island Nature Parks has declared March "Penguin Month" in celebration of its famous penguin parade's 80th anniversary. There will be special Penguin Month activities, tours and events, so if you are in Victoria this month I suggest you make your way to Phillip Island!

Source
Science dusts of penguins for 80th birthday by Bridie Smith, 4 March 2011, The Sydney Morning Herald

Earthcare St Kilda celebrates 25 years of penguin research

Little penguin at St Kilda: overweight
and ready to moult.
Photo © Earthcare St Kilda Inc.

AUSTRALIA - They may be blue rather than the traditional 25th anniversary gift of silver, but for Earthcare St Kilda the presence of the 1000-odd little penguins is the perfect gift to celebrate 25 years of penguin research in St Kilda, Melbourne, Victoria.

Monitoring of the St Kilda penguins began in 1986 with the St Kilda Council's proposal to substantially redevelop the harbour. As part of the proposal, the Council asked Professor Mike Cullen of Monash University to provide a report about the local penguins. Professor Cullen declined the commission, and instead embarked on an independent long-term study of the colony.

Since then, the St Kilda Penguin Study Group, a small band of dedicated research volunteers, have been making fortnightly visits to the breakwater to collect data on the colony. The study group was the catalyst for the formation of Earthcare St Kilda, which now co-ordinates the study as well as other conservation projects.

Technology has certainly changed since the group started monitoring the penguins a quarter of a century ago; now the Earthcare members and volunteers catch the little penguins to scan microchips planted under their skin.

"We can track where they've been, who they've been with, if they have any eggs or chicks and we know how old they are," Tiana Preston, who recently completed a PhD on the St Kilda colony, told Melbourne Weekly.

They also remove any fishing lines or rubbish that the penguins have been caught up in - an unfortunate experience for about 12 penguins a year. "That doesn't sound like a lot but it really isn't good for them," Ms Preston said.

The 2011 Melbourne Penguin Symposium, held on 6 March, celebrated the 25-year milestone and provided an opportunity for attendees to learn about the latest little penguin research, with speakers from Earthcare St Kilda, Phillip Island Nature Parks, Monash University and Deakin University sharing their findings. There were also presentations from local wildlife carer Mandy Hall and The Arctic Circle cartoonist Alex Hallatt.

Ms Hallat said on her blog that she had learned a lot more about penguins at the symposium. She also said that Earthcare St Kilda was looking for committed volunteers to look after the penguins on the breakwater, and highly recommended becoming a volunteer to those in the St Kilda area.

Sources
Earthcare and penguins by Alex Hallat, 7 March 2011, Arctic Circle Blog
History, St Kilda Penguins
St Kilda penguin protection a happy feat for carers by Rebecca Thistleton, 28 February 2011, Melbourne Weekly
St Kilda penguin study by Neil Blake, Earthcare St Kilda

Endangered Species Act protection for southern rockhoppers

A southern rockhopper penguin in the
Falkland Islands.
Photo © Larry Master/masterimages.org.

USA - Their spiky hairstyle makes them look anti-establishment, but the punk rockers of the penguin world now have protection from the US government. The US Fish and Wildlife Service has announced that the New Zealand/Australia distinct population segment of southern rockhopper penguins will join the list of threatened species protected under the US Endangered Species Act. The listing follows a legal settlement with the Center for Biological Diversity and Turtle Island Restoration Network (TIRN) over delays in protecting the penguin.

Listing under the Act will raise awareness of the penguins' plight and increase research and conservation funds. It will also mean that federal agencies are required to ensure that any action carried out, authorised, or funded by the US government will not jeopardise the continued existence of the penguin species. This includes compelling federal agencies to look at the impact of the emissions generated by their activities on listed species and to adopt solutions to reduce them.

"These hardy penguins survive on remote, stormy, sub-Antarctic islands in the Southern Ocean, practically at the edge of the world, and yet they may not survive climate change. Endangered Species Act protections can begin to address this threat," said Catherine Kilduff, an attorney at the Center.

The New Zealand/Australia distinct population segment of southern rockhopper penguin is found in the subantarctic region south of these two countries. The population size of this species, which breeds on the Macquarie, Campbell, Auckland and Antipodes Island groups, has declined by approximately 90% since the 1940s and continues to shrink. They are classified as "vulnerable" on the IUCN Red List.

"These penguins have adapted to an inhospitable environment over hundreds of years, but the combination of ocean warming and commercial fishing may prove to be too much," said Todd Steiner, biologist and executive director of TIRN. "Through this listing, the government is acknowledging that our oceans are sick and taking a first step to protect penguins and their watery world."

The Center first petitioned to protect southern rockhoppers in 2006, along with 11 other penguin species. In 2008, it sued the Department of Interior for its delay in providing protection for the penguins, and since then the African, Humboldt, yellow-eyed, white-flippered, Fiordland and erect-crested penguin species have been listed as threatened under the Act.

Sources
ESA protection provided to rare penguin species, 22 February 2011, US Fish and Wildlife Service
Southern rockhopper penguins listed as threatened species; climate change protections needed, 22 February 2011, Center for Biological Diversity