More to share!

The second half of the news has to do with a program that I watched last night. Return to Penguin City was so overwhelming, I just have to do a plug here for the research that these dedicated scientists are performing, and not too distant from our Gentoo Penguin station. highly recommend that everyone who loves penguins to watch. I've never witnessed a broadcast that was so focused on penguins.

Here is the advert:

Millions of Adelie penguins storm the beaches of Antarctica every October, as they undertake an annual migration to their breeding grounds. For over half a century, researchers have been coming here, hoping to unlock the secrets of these penguins' lives. Braving fierce storms, outsmarting predators, and scaling rogue icebergs — these birds are extraordinary survivors. But they may now face the ultimate challenge. In Return to Penguin City, scientists Grant Ballard and Viola Toniolo discover that rapid climate changes may not only affect the penguins in Antarctica, but could also have major repercussions well beyond this remote corner of the world.

This episode will be broadcast in high definition.*

These are the folks who are responsible for all of that hard work and that gorgeous footage, too!



AT: http://www.penguinscience.com/index.php

Re--broadcasts : March 26th at 7pm & 10pm and March 30th at 1pm-CST

And here is a sweet little wallpaper for everyone, courtesy of Wild Kingdom.

Surprise post!

Normally, I do not report penguin news here; usually, I do that on my sister site:

http://www.myspace.com/linwand/

But these bits of news are enormous and carry with them a huge impact upon the mind of the reader. One concerns an area where 2 of our cams are located--South Georgia. I want everyone to see what we can't see on these two cams. I promise--you will be impressed. Here goes:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.html?in_article_id=523715&in_page_id=1766&ito=1490

The biggest creche on earth - and surely also the coldest for these king penguins

2nd March 2008

From the sky, it looks like a giant swirling frothy coffee.

Yet this scene shows an extraordinary community at work - thousands of king penguins instinctively herding their recently born young into giant huddles to stop them freezing to death.

Parental instinct takes over in the inhospitable climate of the South Atlantic and the furry brown chicks are made to crowd together to retain their body warmth in the equivalent of bird creches - visible as brown swathes on our photo.

The picture was taken 2,000ft above the shoreline of South Georgia, a British territory close to the Falklands, by a helicopter crew from the Royal Navy's ice patrol ship HMS Endurance.

Authorities impose the minimum flying height restrictions to protect more than 25,000 birds living in the colony.

Taking into account wind chill, the temperature was -15C on the island when the shot was taken in December.

It's no wonder the penguins are so careful with their young.

The chicks cannot regulate their body temperature and the parents care for them round the clock for the first three weeks.

They then put the chicks in one of the creches, returning every two or three days with food.

Wow, huh?

Weekly Update

Our penguins have been altering their schedule to follow that of the sun's. This week, for the southern hemisphere, the sun crossed the autumnal equinox and shortly, our birds will be leaving for less violent parts of the southern ocean. Another storm battered the peninsula this week, and as you can see below, they all huddle against the prevailing winds of 50mph. Even penguins have a limit to their comfort zones.

The little ones are still working through their first molt, and you can always tell which ones, because they have begun to beg their parents for food once more. More than one chick has received a short response for their efforts.

Two more of the cams went offline this afternoon and I am unsure as to why. Meanwhile, in South Georgia, the baby fur seals were out and about playing and one lone penguin was spotted. Now that both SG cams are up and running, I will include them here.

So let's look at the week in pictures:





















Until next week, here's hoping you're evenings and days are just as rosy as these last two.

Ahay from Antarctica!
wiinterrr

Pencognito!!!

Be sure to visit Jen at http://pencognito.com/

Weekly Update

This week has been substantially different than all the rest. Why? First, the sun is beginning to set earlier every evening. However, the Gentoos return to the rookery at least 30 minutes before the sun sets. I'm surprised that they haven't left yet. Snow has been a constant this week and the icy waters must be moving slower. Other than snow, no major storms have battered the peninsula.

One little guy has had to stay at the rookery all week due to molting. Sad but true, although he's pleasantly plump, his companions, for the most part have been absent. The rest of the pictures will show some very beautiful scenes... especially the one after the sun has set. You can see thestars--nice.

It appears that the entire rookery is intact once more, as there are many more penguins, than last week. I'm not for sure if they wandered off to another part of the peninsula, but I thought I saw a group of them out near Mt. Jacquinot.

Regardless, enjoy them while you can, as they will leave for other parts eventually. Until our friends return to the research station, the number 1 and 2 cams will still be off. In the meantime, I will be looking into getting more penguin cams here.

And until next week, Ahay from Antarctica.... wiinterrr

New Pencognito from Jen at http://pengcognito.com/

An Inconvenient Message

While the cams are down and there is a lull in activity in the rookery, I want to share something with everyone who has come here to watch the penguins, to sign the petition, and to be a part of something bigger than ourselves. This message is not for those who understand global warming; it is for those who believe that it is not such a big deal.

50graus.org has made such an enormous statement that it begs to be shared. If the oceans of the world rise in temperature by a mere 3 degrees Fahrenheit, all of the penguins will die. This is a truth and within this pictorial display by 50graus.org you can begin to see the urgency of this matter. While I am not a political animal, I am one who cares about my fellow penguins. I know that most all of you do, too.