Image of the Day

Falklands, a photo by richard.mcmanus. on Flickr.

Southern Rockhopper out for a stroll

Image of the Day

Falklands, a photo by richard.mcmanus. on Flickr.

Male king penguin trying to mate with female sitting on egg.

Image of the Day

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Who says penguins don't have a sense of humor???

Edinburgh Zoo penguin enclosure to reopen following £750,000 revamp

STV 13 March 2013 

 

 

 

Edinburgh Zoo's new penguin enclosure is set to reopen to the public following a £750,000 revamp.

The outdoor pool, called Penguins Rock, offers improved viewing areas for people visiting one of the zoo's most popular species.

For the penguins themselves, the attraction has mock sandy beaches and rocky areas, a waterfall feature, a water shoot and a diving board made out of carved rock.

The development also includes a "state-of-the-art" filtration system for the 1.2m litres of water it holds.

Colin Oulton, team leader for birds at the zoo, said: "The new enclosure is a wonderful addition to our visitor attraction and perfect for our penguins.

"The birds, both returning and new, have settled in very quickly to the Penguins Rock.
"In fact, breeding season will shortly be here and many of our returning birds are already claiming their favourite nesting spots."

Bosses said the existing pool had served the zoo's large colony of penguins well for more than 20 years but it was starting to need some work behind the scenes, so it made sense to combine it with a visual overhaul.

Darren McGarry, head of living collections, said the animals have been getting used to their refurbished enclosure in recent weeks.

"Our penguins have been reintroduced back into their home over the last few weeks, with the 28 gentoos and 27 rockhoppers that remained at Edinburgh Zoo going in first," he said.

"It was a pleasure to see the birds start to interact with the new features of their enclosure - trying out the water slide and sticking their beaks into their new waterfall. The waterfall has actually proved to be a real hit with the gentoos.

"Next, a week later, came gentoo birds that had been staying in Belfast and Denmark, and there was lots of calling out as birds definitely recognised old friends.

"As well as old faces returning, we also welcome a mix of new one and two-year-old gentoos to Edinburgh Zoo as it is important to keep genetic diversity within populations.

"We are really looking forward to see the reactions of our visitors as they see our new enclosure and see our famous black and white birds enjoy all its new features, the mock sandy beach, the clear aqua blue water and creative bird themed interpretation, to name just a few of exciting changes.

"However, it is the opportunity to feel so close to the birds due to the new lowered sightlines, and glass barriers and wood perimeters, that we particularly hope people will be thrilled with."
The new enclosure opens to the public on Thursday.

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Scientists concerned for Dunedin's Yellow-eyed Penguin population

March 11, 2013 
 

University of Otago researchers from the Department of Zoology have expressed serious concerns for the future of the Dunedin Yellow-eyed Penguin population.
 

This comes after the recent high mortality of Yellow-eyed Penguins where more than 50 adult penguins were found dead on beaches of the Otago Peninsula. The researchers understand that one more bird was found dead last week.

"Since the mid-1990s the population of Yellow-eyed Penguins on the peninsula has declined by more than 50%," says the Department of Zoology's Dr Ursula Ellenberg.

"We are effectively losing about 12 breeding pairs per year. If this trend continues unabated, the Yellow-eyed Penguin might become a rare sight on the Peninsula in our lifetimes."

Introduced predators such as stoats, fisheries by-catch and human disturbance are currently considered the main causes of this overall decline.

"A sudden die-off like the one we just experienced, significantly adds to the tally. With about 180 breeding pairs left on the peninsula, 50 dead adults represent a considerable portion of the remaining breeding stock."

Dr Yolanda van Heezik, also from the Department of Zoology, notes that some of the birds that have recently died could be "super breeders", those few penguins in any population that are long lived and which produce the most surviving chicks.

She says that this small proportion of super breeders is effectively sustaining the Otago Peninsula Yellow-eyed Penguin population, meaning that recovery following their loss could be very slow.

A similar event occurred in 1990, when nearly 40% of the local breeding population of Yellow-eyed Penguins was found dead on the beaches of the Otago Peninsula. The cause of this event could never be determined but it was suspected that bio-toxins resulting from a harmful algal bloom played a role.
"There are many similarities between 1990 and the current event; the symptoms, localised occurrence and weather patterns.  It all points in the same direction and shows that we are dealing with something that might occur again. Only the next event could occur sooner."

Dr Thomas Mattern, who has been studying the marine ecology of Yellow-eyed penguins since 2003, sees strong links between weather conditions and the penguin die-off.

"Both events were preceded by warm weather which caused unusually high sea surface temperatures. These are ideal conditions for the occurrence of harmful algal blooms and elevated concentrations of toxins. Considering climate projections are forecasting warmer and drier summers for Dunedin, the penguins might have to cope with similar die-offs more frequently in the years to come."

Meanwhile the search for the cause behind the die-off continues.

So far laboratory tests conducted at Massey University for various potential toxic agents on deceased birds have all come back negative.

"There is such a multitude of potential toxins that could have killed the penguins. Trying to identify the one that killed our penguins is a search for a needle in the haystack.

"However, we are in the fortunate position that this year's die-off happened while we were out studying the foraging behaviour of the penguins with GPS data loggers. So we have data that can help us determine factors and develop contingency plans to manage and mitigate future mortality events. All we need are the financial resources to do it," says Dr Mattern.

In 2007, Australian Economist Clem Tisdell assessed the economic importance of wildlife tourism for Dunedin and concluded that each breeding pair of Yellow-eyed Penguins contributes over $250,000 to the local economy annually.

"Obviously the economic value of the Yellow-eyed Penguin for our city is significant," says Associate Professor Phil Seddon, Director of Wildlife Management at Otago's Department of Zoology.

"Not to mention the natural and cultural value of the species as part of Dunedin's identity."
The Department of Zoology has drafted a proposal and request for funding for an epidemiological analysis of the event, and the development of management strategies.

Provided by University of Otago

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Half of the world's penguin species threatened by global warming

Mar 11, 2013

KUSA - The future of half of the world's 18 penguin species is in doubt, according to a new study in the Journal of Science.
Warming temperatures are causing a decline in their number one food source: Krill, tiny crustaceans found in the southern ocean supported by ice and frigid waters. 
West Antarctica  - a major penguin habitat - is one of the regions hardest hit by climate change. The average temperature there has risen by 4.4 degrees in the past 40 years - three times the overall rate of global warming.
Worldwide, temperatures are warmer now than any other time in the past 4,000 years.
For more information, take a look at a special series on global warming at NBCnews.com.

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'Grave indicator': Penguins' survival at stake as Antarctic ice disappears

NBC News Correspondent Kerry Sanders recently returned from Antarctica, where he chronicled the dramatic changes in the world's last wilderness. Below is his main report; you also can click on the map above for more dispatches from across the breathtaking seventh continent.
By Kerry Sanders, Correspondent, NBC News

ANTARCTIC PENINSULA — There are serious changes taking place here at the bottom of the world.

Increasingly, experts say, the ice is disappearing at a disturbing rate in the Antarctic Peninsula and that in turn impacts the future -- and perhaps the very existence — of at least half of the world’s 18 penguin species, who depend on ice and frigid waters that support krill, the penguin diet mainstay.
"When cheetahs or lions get hunted, or elephants decline, there’s a big uproar. And I think, because you see penguins in large numbers [in some places] people are ignoring the larger rate of their decline," said Oxford University penguinologist Tom Hart. "The general public doesn't realize the penguins are declining so fast."

But it’s not just the penguins we have to worry about, Hart says, it’s the health of the planet itself.
"The last wilderness on Earth is impacted by us now," he said, describing the region’s decline as a "grave indicator" of what’s to come.

Marine biologist Fabrice Genevois speaks with NBC's Kerry Sanders about Gentoo penguins and their extraordinary way of swimming which at times can appear as if they are "flying."

Life’s cycle disrupted for Antarctica’s penguins

It’s the end of the breeding cycle for most penguins here as summer comes to a close. The Gentoos, Adelies and Chinstraps are nudging their newborns from the rocks of Antarctica’s peninsula toward the waters of the Southern Ocean.

Experts say about 50 percent of the eggs will produce a penguin chick that makes it to sea. And about half of those will survive the hungry predators below, as they plunge into the frigid waters for their first swim. Leopard seals are lurking -- and for the newborns, avoiding their mortal enemy is not easy. Many will die. Those that do survive are subject to climate change that is threatening their food supply.

Hart has spent nearly a decade studying the creatures that have captured the world’s imagination for centuries. Each year, for three to four months, he positions himself along the Antarctic coast to observe, measure and chart penguin colonies. Some colonies have been followed since polar explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton and his men headed here some 100 years ago.

Modern-day expeditions to Antarctica are a more pampered escape than the harrowing ordeals they once were, but a couple men remember the heroes of previous expeditions a little better than most. NBC's Kerry Sanders reports.

"When you look at all penguins they are largely in trouble," said Hart. "We're so concerned because we're seeing massive changes to their populations. They’re probably not going to go extinct anytime soon, but the environment is changing very fast.

Chinstraps populations seem to have declined up to 50 percent in the last 30 years," he added.
Hart, like most experts, is cautious to speak in absolutes because the harsh environment here makes it difficult to get a clear picture of what’s happening.  Experts use time-lapse cameras and sit at computers, laboriously counting penguins one by one to compare colony sizes from year to year.

To keep track of the penguin population in the extreme conditions of Antarctica, scientists turn to time-lapse photography as an important tool for research. This video shows years of the animals' migration patterns.

Krill decline quickly as sea ice disappears

Ice is the source of all life in Antarctica.  It may seem at odds to think that ice gives life, but when you connect the dots, it’s a straight line to a penguin’s belly.

Algae live on top of the ice and underneath it too, providing a grazing ground for the krill that amass beneath -- the way a raccoon chooses to hide in a garbage can.

Krill mostly stay put under the frozen Southern Ocean.  But as the ice sheet disappears due to climate change, that habitat shrinks and moves further south.

"The West Antarctic Peninsula has increased three degrees since 1951,” Hart said. "We’ve seen a large reduction in sea ice over the same period."

Although the climate has always undergone oscillations in temperature, Hart says the recent changes are happening much faster than normal.

NBC's Kerry Sanders takes a look at some of the unusual and fascinating wildlife that inhabits Earth's coldest continent.

Logically, less ice has resulted in less krill, say marine biologists.  And since krill is the main diet for penguins, seals and whales, less food has in turn meant fewer births.  That theory is widely accepted by scientists like French marine biologist Fabrice Genevois.

He says it’s mostly Americans, who have confused politics with science by questioning global climate change.

"We have all the information now, that's clear enough,” said Genevois. "There's no argument any more. You have to be either a liar or be crazy not to understand what we are doing to change the climate. We are responsible, that's for sure."

Add to that equation: Fishing. Less ice has opened areas to more fishing boats that in turn have targeted krill as a profitable catch.

There’s a 620,000 ton catch limit for krill in Antarctica, which is only about 1 percent of the total estimated mass in the region.

NBC's Kerry Sanders pays a visit to Antarctica, one of the world's last wilderness areas, to see the penguins that are being threatened by the increasingly rapid melting of the ice that dominates the landscape.

But it’s the location of the krill fisheries — all aggregated in the Antarctic Peninsula near the South Shetland Islands — that is the main cause of concern.

The boats increasingly drop their nets in the same waters where penguins search for food. The nets are not catching penguins indiscriminately but they are competing for the krill that the wildlife eats to survive.

Where do those captured krill end up? In part, they’re used as fish food at salmon farms, desirable because krill help color salmon “pink” which increases sales at the supermarket.
Click here and here for more on managing the krill catch.

Slideshow: Antarctica: Journey to the bottom of the Earth

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See photos from NBC's Kerry Sanders' voyage to Antarctica.

Launch slideshow

Canary in a coal mine

The entire population of Emperor penguins, Chinstraps and Adelies live in Antarctica — if the ice continues to retreat those species are at risk. Meanwhile, the potential for disease outbreaks increases.
"As regions of Antarctica warm it has much more potential as a petri dish," said Hart, citing disease from the north, in particular avian disease, as being a main concern.

The penguins, marine biologists say, are giving us a warning.

"We don't need to necessarily fear change," said marine biologist Maria Clauss, who works with tour company Quark Expeditions. But the penguin’s decline "will change the world as we know it," she said. "And we should not kid ourselves."

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Penguins In Antarctica At Serious Risk As Ice Melt Continues (VIDEO)

The Huffington Post  |  By Dominique Mosbergen Posted: 03/13/2013



As Antarctic ice continues to melt at an alarming rate, scientists warn that the well-being of penguins native to the region is becoming increasingly threatened.

According to a new report by NBC News' Kerry Sanders, the welfare and existence of at least half of the world's 18 penguin species will be negatively impacted if the warming of the Antarctic Peninsula persists. Experts say that a big part of the problem is related to food: Less ice means less krill, a cornerstone of the Antarctic ecosystem and a mainstay of a penguin's diet.

"When you look at all penguins they are largely in trouble," said Oxford University penguinologist Tom Hart, who spends a few months every year observing penguin colonies along the Antarctic coast, per NBC. "We're so concerned because we're seeing massive changes to their populations.

They’re probably not going to go extinct anytime soon, but the environment is changing very fast."
Emperor penguins, Adelies and chinstraps, for example, live entirely in the Antarctic. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), both Emperor penguins and Adelies are considered "near threatened." Even populations of chinstraps, not usually considered a vulnerable species, have "declined up to 50 percent in the last 30 years," Hart told NBC. "The general public doesn't realize the penguins are declining so fast."

In an interview with the BBC in 2009, Professor Hart warned that Emperor penguins could face near-extinction by the end of the century if global warming continued at its current rate.

Then, in 2011, a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences suggested that chinstrap and Adelie penguin populations had been shrinking since 1986 due to a decline in the availability of krill.

"For penguins and other species, krill is the linchpin in the food web," Dr Wayne Trivelpiece, the study's lead author and a researcher with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) said in a statement released by the Lenfest Ocean Program, which partially funded the 2011 study.

"Regardless of their environmental preferences, we see a connection between climate change and penguin populations through the loss of habitat for their main food source," Trivelpiece's statement continued. "As warming continues, the loss of krill will have a profound effect throughout the Antarctic ecosystem."

Since krill feed on phytoplankton that thrive under ice cover, warming waters and disappearing sea ice have contributed to shrinking Antarctic krill populations. According to Al-Jazeera, other recent studies have shown that krill in the Southern Ocean may have declined by about 80 percent since the 1970s.

"Simply put, without krill, most of the life forms in the Antarctic would disappear," National Geographic says of the tiny, shrimp-like crustacean.

To learn more about penguins in Antarctica and how you can help them, go to the Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition's page on penguins here.

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Image of the Day

New Zealand-124.jpg, a photo by MNRD Photography on Flickr.

Image of the Day

Falklands, a photo by richard.mcmanus. on Flickr.

Rockhopper penguins on the penguin highway at Saunders Island

Images of the Day (King Penguin Rookery)

Pictures capture penguin nursery in which thousands of huddled chicks wait for their parents to return with dinner

• Huge group of emperor penguins pictured in South Georgia in Antarctica by photographer Mike Reyfman

By Daily Mail Reporter
PUBLISHED: 10 March 2013
 
With their parents in the sea catching fish, thousands of junior emperor penguins are left huddled together to await dinner.
But when their food-bearing parents return they may be presented with one slight problem - how to find their chick amongst the mass of youngsters.
Despite the thousands of youngsters crowded together on this plain in South Georgia, the parents are incredibly able to locate their youngsters by detecting their individual calls.

Take your pick: The huge group of emperor penguins pictured huddling together in South Georgia

Odd one out: A lone adult is surrounded by chicks, still showing their brown downy feathers

The young birds, displaying their brown, downy feathers, crowd together to keep warm while their parents leave en masse to fetch food.

Photographer Mike Reyfman travelled to the frozen wilderness for the first time to witness the huge gathering.
He said: 'There must be 100,000s of birds in these nurseries but each chick can be spotted by their mum or dad when they return with food simply by the sound of their voice.

 

'Penguin babies are gathered like this to keep warm from the extreme cold and because they cannot go out to sea yet as their feathers are not ready.
Mr Reyfman, 52, from Chicago, added: 'We spent two days following the flock and it was one the most incredible experiences of my life.'
He used a Nikon D4 to capture his images.

Where are you: A couple of adults on the edge of the group of chicks surveys the area after returning from the sea 

Distinctive: The adults are able to locate their youngsters amongst the huge crowd by detecting their calls 

 

 

Feeding time: A chick is treated to a mouthful of fish from its returning parent 

Bowing down: A young penguin looks like it is on the receiving end of a scolding from an adult

Dancing on ice: The young birds first sport brown, downy feathers before developing the more instinctive white, black and orange feathers of emperor penguins

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Aquarium inviting penguin contest submissions

This is one of 10 Humboldt penguins at the Aquarium of Niagara. They all make beautiful photographs. 

Published: 03/9/2013

By Teresa Sharp

News niagara correspondent 

Picture a penguin and win a prize

NIAGARA FALLS – With their comical waddles and sleek, tuxedoed looks, penguins can make inviting photo subjects. That’s why the Aquarium of Niagara is now inviting photo submissions for a contest to help celebrate the popular aquatic birds.

The first-prize winner in the contest will earn a meet-and-greet with a penguin. Second prize will be an 8-by- 10-inch unframed penguin art piece from the Aquarium. Honorable mention will earn a 4 x 6 inch art piece. Winners in the contest will be showcased during a Penguin Days Celebration to be held March 23-24 at the aquarium.

Contestants are allowed to submit up to five photos of penguins – taken locally or anywhere around the world – for their entry. Deadline for the photo submissions is Wednesday. All entries will be returned. “Most of the photos submitted to us have been taken by locals who take photos here, but we did have someone once who went to the Antarctic and took pictures of other species,” recalled Dan Arcara, supervisor of exhibits for the aquarium.

The aquarium boasts 10 Humboldt penguins, Arcara said. These include William, who dates back to the aquarium’s original colony settlement in 1978, as well as 7-year-old Bobbi, a female, and Chile, a male. William is at least 38 years old, but his exact age is undetermined because he was an adult when he was brought to Niagara, Arcara explained. “They generally live 15 to 18 years in the wild, and much longer in captivity,” Arcara said of the penguins.

Arcara promised many more interesting penguin facts during the celebration, which he called “a very popular event” for the aquarium, typically drawing close to 2,000 visitors over the two-day span.
“The Humboldt penguins are from Peru and northern Chile – from a warmer climate,” he said. “Most people think of snow and ice and cold when they think of penguins because of what we see in the media and in movies, but of the 18 known species of penguins, only a half-dozen are from the Antarctic region. The rest are from warmer climates in South America, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.”

In order to be part of the contest, all photographs must have the entrant’s name on the back of the photo with location and title. The contest is not open to aquarium employees or their immediate family members. Photograph submissions must be no smaller than 5 by 7 and no larger than 8 by 10 inches. Digital images may be submitted at 300 dpi or greater.

Photos may be mailed to the Aquarium of Niagara, Exhibits Dept., 701 Whirlpool St., Niagara Falls, NY 14305.

For more information, contact the Exhibits Department at 285-3575, Ext. 211, or email aonaquarium@aim.com.

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Image of the Day

Falklands King Penguin, a photo by C r a i g W on Flickr.