South American Penguin update

Dear PenguinPromises

The penguins have been enjoying their winter migration. The rest and relaxation should leave Promises fat and healthy ready for the coming season of egg-laying and chick-rearing. More than a million penguins spend their winter migration off the coast of Brazil each year. I attach a photo of the penguins gathered together offshore.

On the beaches in Brazil the people do much the same thing as Promises. They lie around on the beaches resting and enjoying the sunny weather, just like Promises.
Every so often they sit up to eat and drink something, whilst the penguins just dive down under the water to grab a fish. Penguins and people come to Brazil to enjoy the same kind of vacations.

However now it is time for Promises to head back home to the colony. The penguins begin laying eggs in late October or early November, and they have a long journey ahead of them to get home in time for that. They have a journey of about 3,000 kilometers to get back to the colony.

Magellanic penguins can swim at up to 18 kilometers per hour when they are really in a hurry, but 5 to 6 kilometers per hour is a more normal 'cruising' speed.
The penguins also want to arrive in the colony in peak condition, not worn out from a long journey. So the penguins travel back down to the colony at a gentle pace. They take time out to catch fish and to rest. Instead of hunting for fish in circles as they would normally do, they hunt whilst swimming southwards, and day by day they get nearer to home, and arrive rested and well fed.

The weather is still very cold back here in the colony, with temperatures dropping below zero and frequent snow showers. That will be quite a shock for Promises.
During the last few weeks the penguins have been used to hot weather in Brazil.
In actual fact the weather is probably too hot for the penguins, but since they remain in the water throughout their winter migration, the heat does not really affect them. The cooler seawater prevents them from getting too hot.

Some penguins are adapted to hot climates, such as the African and Galapagos penguins, but Magellanic penguins are from Patagonia and do not like the heat when they are on land. The only way they can cool down is by panting like dogs, or by going into the water to cool off, which is not an option when they are incubating eggs.

The penguins have not done any walking since leaving the colony either, so that is something else that Promises will have to get used to again. The nest is quite a long way from the beach, and penguins do not walk very quickly, so it takes Promises quite a while to walk from the beach to the nest and back again.

The winter weather has taken its toll on the nests. Penguins nesting under bushes have had their nests completely washed away by the winter rains. What was a home when they left is now a building plot awaiting reconstruction with 'their' bush marking the location. Even penguins living in burrows will have to make major repairs to the partially collapsed burrows.

The penguins will arrive back in the colony during October, and after repairing the nest they will lay their eggs in late October or early November. We cannot disturb the penguins by taking photos until they have laid their eggs. Anybody who has raised chickens or ducks, or any other birds, will know that before the eggs are laid any disturbance can cause the birds to abandon their nest and lay their eggs in another location to avoid predation. Once the eggs have been laid however, the year's breeding success has been invested in that nest, and so we can then take photos without any risk to the penguins and their eggs. I will write to you again with the latest photo of Promises as soon as the eggs have been laid.


Best wishes, Mike