Little penguin colony very little indeed

AUSTRALIA - Manly's penguin wardens say that only one breeding pair of little penguins remain in Manly Cove West from the colony that moved there 20 years ago. The good news is that Mr Stickybeak and his partner do have a nest of eggs.

Dogs and boats have taken their toll, say the penguin wardens. Conservationists tried to get dogs banned from the area but a lobby by dog walkers meant they could still use the area with leashes.  

The Stickybeaks are believed to be among some 60 pairs in the wider Manly area, the only mainland population in NSW. 

Source
Unhappy feet: is the harbour a fairytale ending? by Tim Barlass, Launceston Times, 25 September 2011

Volunteers need to educate penguin seekers

NEW ZEALAND - Waitaki Tourism Association is calling for volunteers to help educate visitors about how to treat little penguins and other wildlife around Oamaru Harbour.

The initiative follows increasing feedback from visitors to the Oamaru Penguin Colony who, as they leave the colony, see other people outside who are chasing or blocking birds trying to reach their nests.

Source
Penguin-minders to educate visitors by David Bruce, Otago Daily Times, 17 September 2011

Penguin chicks found mauled to death

AUSTRALIA - Fifteen dead little penguin chicks have been found near the Kingscote breeding colony on Kangaroo Island, South Australia.

The Kangaroo Island Natural Resources Management Board (KINRMB) said that as penguins only fledge between two to four chicks per year, this will have a devastating impact on this section of Kingscote’s colony.

It is thought the chicks were mauled by a dog or a cat. There was a similar attack in the same area just over a year ago.

Motion cameras set up in some of Kingcote's colonies as part of a project aimed at identifying some of the management issues associated with colonies in Gulf St Vincent have detected feral and domestic cats and several dogs sniffing around penguin burrows. On at least two occasions the cameras have captured footage of a domestic cat attacking penguin chicks.

The Natural Resources Management Board said it will continue to investigate and  hopefully identify the culprit responsible for these latest deaths.

A little penguin census will be underway soon, with counting of the birds being done at four locations on the island.

Sources
Catastrophe for chicks, The Kangaroo Islander, 6 October 2011
Penguin chicks killed on Kangaroo Island, ABC News, 7 October 2011

Penguin parents abandon bald chick

CHINA - An emperor penguin chick born without feathers at the LHT Pole Aquarium was abandoned by its parents just days after its birth. But thanks to the efforts of keepers at the aquarium in the Lianoning Province, it has been accepted back into the family. The keepers decided that the chick's lack of feathers and weak condition were due to difficulties digesting food and absorbing nutrition. After a month of round-the-clock care, the chick was much stronger and grew feathers, and was then reintroduced to the family group.

Source
Bald baby penguin abandoned by parents, AOL Travel, 21 September 2011

One of Manly's penguins killed by dog

AUSTRALIA - Hidden cameras will be placed at North Head in Manly, New South Wales, after a dog killed a little penguin in late August. A Taronga Zoo autopsy showed a small dog killed the penguin. The tagged 13-year-old male was was part of a breeding pair at North Head.

Source
Penguin killed by a dog at North Head, Manly Dail, 2 September 2011 

Penguin decides to cruise

NEW ZEALAND - Tour company Real Journeys tells passengers on their Doubtful Sound cruise there is a chance they might catch a glimpse of a rare Fiordland penguin, but I bet they didn't expect to see one of the actual boat!

The unusual tourist, nicknamed Larry (as in "happy as ..."), was spotted by a passenger aboard the Navigator, waiting at the top of the steps to be let through the gates onto the cruise boat.

A Real Journeys spokeswoman said that the Navigator crew had seen 23 Fiordland penguins on Seymour Island, showing that predator control is working.

Source
Penguin hitches a ride, Otago Daily Times, 28 October 2011

Builders racing to finish housing for hundreds of rescued penguins

NEW ZEALAND - A new enclosure for little blue penguins at the Wildlife Response Centre at Te Maunga is well on its way to completion. It was planned that three of the 10 planned aviaries would be complete by the afternoon of 25 October.

Each aviary can house up to approximately 25 penguins, and has an indoor pool and communal areas for the penguins to preen, feed and swim.

Oiled Wildlife Response Manager Kerri Morgan said it was important to monitor the penguin’s health and condition, especially at feeding times.

“Correct feeding is a critical part of the rehabilitation process and our staff take great care when feeding the penguins.

“We use either sprats or anchovies and need to ensure that none of the natural oils from the fish get on the birds’ feathers as this can damage their natural waterproofing. The penguins are all doing really well and have a great fighting spirit,” said Ms Morgan.

“We have 314 penguins in our care and the enclosures will be able to house them more comfortably long term. It is too early at the moment to say when they can be released, but we want to ensure all the penguins are healthy and well nourished before this takes place.”

The penguins get fed twice a day and eat five to seven fish per feeding. They also have one swim a day. This lets them condition and preen their feathers, which is crucial to their re-waterproofing.

In total the centre now has 379 live birds in its care, including 108 oiled penguins and 206 clean penguins. There are also New Zealand dotterels, pied shags, a shearwater and a tern, which are also clean.

The total number of dead birds as at 6pm 24 October is 1,370. Post-mortems are being carried out on the birds to determine if oiling is the cause of death.

Source
Rena update #51, 25 October 2011, Maritime NZ