Island penguins are right little breeders
BY ALEX JOHNSON
8/09/2008 5:21:00 PM
MIDDLE Island's little penguin population is enjoying a resurgence with a once-in-a-decade early breeding season, according to a Deakin University expert.
Amanda Peucker, a PhD research student at the School of Life and Environmental Sciences at the Warrnambool campus, said the reason behind the early breeding remained a mystery.
``We went out (to Middle Island) two weeks ago expecting to see a few pairs of eggs and we found some chicks about to fledge (leave the nest).''
It takes about 36 days for the eggs to incubate and hatch, then another eight weeks for the chicks to grow adult feathers before they leave their burrow, she said.
She had counted eight chicks on Middle Island plus another three eggs that were yet to hatch last Tuesday.
She noticed that one of the eight chicks had already left the island two weeks ago to fend for itself in open water.
``Maybe they're some more experienced breeders or older breeders, I'm not really sure,'' she said of the chicks' parents.
Some penguins breed twice in the one season and were known as ``double brooders''.
``Maybe these eight chicks are just from those double brooders but this season, for some reason, they're really, really early,'' she said.
One reason for the early arrivals could be a bountiful supply of food being pushed up from the depths at the Bonney Upwelling, off the coast, she added.
About 10 chicks were counted last season and a similar number is expected this year.
One factor behind the strong numbers was the Maremma guard dog project which, she said, had kept foxes off the island and allowed the population to grow naturally.
She was confident that despite the dogs accidentally killing 10 birds last year, the Maremma project would continue to foster greater penguin numbers when the dogs returned in October.
Article courtesy of the Fairfax Standard @
http://warrnambool.yourguide.com.au/news/local/news/general/island-penguins-are-right-little-breeders/1265402.aspx
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