|
|
|
|
|
|
| The penguins beach just outside
Oamaru's city centre and work their way up a rocky beach to a
colony about 50 metres inland. The town has built a
visitors' centre and grandstands right at the beach to facilitate the
tourists watching the penguins. The rafts of penguins do not
arrive until about 30 minutes after sundown, or about 9h30 when I was there.
The count that night was 156 penguins.
The guides are very strict in their prohibition of photography. The flash would not only frighten the penguins, but also damage their eyes. The area is illuminated with sodium-vapor lights, which the penguins cannot see. I returned the next morning to take some pictures of the facility.
|
|
| Stock image of some blue penguins, from penguins.co.nz.. Very informative site, worth a detour. | |
|
|
|
|
Click on the photos for further explanation. |
|
Penguins would beach here
|
|
| The caretakers have built nesting places in a purpose-built enclave. The nests are a bit larger than a shoebox, maybe a box for boots. There is a small tunnel to enter the nests. They are built 'into the hill', or at least that's how it must seem to the penguins. The covers are weighted with rocks, but are not secured with nails. This way the caretakers can go out during the day and inventory eggs and chicks. Apparently the penguins are indifferent to humans handling their eggs and chicks (probably not smart enough to know what is happening), unlike dolphins and other sea mammals whose parent-offspring relationships can be damaged by human intervention. | |
|
|
| Some graffiti on the road to the Blue Penguin Enclave | |
|
|
|
