The Next Generation

In late October, last year’s tawaki chicks usually start popping up in the breeding colonies. In some years, there are heaps of them, but this year we only saw a handful which suggests that the survival of last year’s chicks cohort wasn’t particularly good. La Niña and the associated warmer ocean temperatures in the Sub-antarctic resulting in lower productivity and less penguin food may have made life exceedingly difficult for many young penguins.

However, a few tough ones did show up on the Shelter and Seymour Islands this year while we were there. Like the fellow below.

Even though the grey beard provides one-year-old tawaki with a rather distinguished old man’s look, the short, pale crest gives their young age away. And as most juvenile tawaki, this one had not a clue what he was supposed to do. It seems as if he (for it is a boy, look at the honker!) wandered aimlessly through the forest and ended up at the least populated eastern side of the East Shelter Island. Eventually he found his wee little nook to plonk down in and contemplate what to do next.