Saturday, April 30, 2011

Image of the Day

IMG_0828 by advermeulen2010
IMG_0828, a photo by advermeulen2010 on Flickr.

Monday, April 25, 2011

Image of the Day

Penguin building a nest by Jerry-Bell
Penguin building a nest, a photo by Jerry-Bell on Flickr.

I Haz a Stone

HAPPY WORLD PENGUIN DAY!


Each year, on or about the 25th of April, the Adelie penguins of Ross Island leave their brooding grounds and swim to their winter sanctuary northwest of the Balleny Islands. Some decided to mark the occasion by including all penguins and dubbing the day World Penguin Day.

Most penguins do participate in migratory habits. Why they favor some places more than others as their destination is the current  work of biologists. Current belief is that the Adelies favor a place that has more pack ice, thereby providing more protection.  This appears to be true, as the Davis Station Adelies migrate north, then west, staying close to the Antarctic continent. Also, Antarctica's days become much shorter and the Adelies do not feed well in the dark. Traveling north, these birds have longer days in order to fish and feed.

Other penguins migrate, as well. The Magellanic penguins of South America travel to Mar del Plata, where usually there is more food and less harsh conditions; however, in the past few years, the Magels have suffered many losses due to inadequate food. The Falkland Island Rockhopper Penguins have traditionally migrated to coastal South America, and the northernmost of the colonies favored the areas along the Patagonian Shelf.  The Macaronis stay in the sub-Antarctic area, mostly at sea, during their migration from their breeding grounds.

These are just a few instances of penguin migration; the point is that they do migrate and when they do, this action initiates the end of the breeding season and the beginning of a new life in the vast southern ocean for thousands of newly molted juveniles.

Welcome to your world, little guys. Bon voyage!!! 

Antarctica Adelie[1]

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Friday, April 22, 2011

Image of the Day

Antarctica by rick ligthelm
Antarctica, a photo by rick ligthelm on Flickr.

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Image of the Day

Antarctica by rick ligthelm
Antarctica, a photo by rick ligthelm on Flickr.

Proud parent

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Image of the Day

IMG_0590 by advermeulen2010
IMG_0590, a photo by advermeulen2010 on Flickr.

Hungry?

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Image of the Day

Gentoo Penguin by Jerry-Bell
Gentoo Penguin, a photo by Jerry-Bell on Flickr.

Monday, April 18, 2011

Image of the Day

Gentoo Penguins by Niseag
Gentoo Penguins, a photo by Niseag on Flickr.

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Image of the Day

Proud parents

Friday, April 15, 2011

Image of the Day

Fight! Fight! Fight! by pinguino
Fight! Fight! Fight!, a photo by pinguino on Flickr.

The Dispute

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Image of the Day

Time for a snooze.

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Image of the Day

Antarctica by rick ligthelm
Antarctica, a photo by rick ligthelm on Flickr.

He went that way...no this way...no...

Monday, April 11, 2011

Image of the Day

Antarctica by Lbc42
Antarctica, a photo by Lbc42 on Flickr.

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Image of the Day

I got an itch

The Strange Love Affairs of a Penguin and a Swan

Fowl Play

Bonaparte the penguin is a bit confused.

Talk about unrequited love. A swan in western Germany has decided he is in love with a blue tractor. Not to be outdone, a Sea Life penguin in Constance has fallen for a rubber boot. Spring, it would seem, has sprung.

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Whose thoughts don't turn to love in springtime? The sunny weather is enough to warm the hardest of hearts. The blooming flowers and budding trees don't hurt either. And then there are the outdoor cafes, the rubber boots and the tractors.


Rubber boots and tractors?

In Germany -- at least among the feathered populace -- it would seem that nascent love affairs with inanimate objects are all the rage this year. Schwani, a swan in the village of Velen in western Germany, has decided that a blue tractor is the love of his life. And in Sea Life Constance, in Germany's far south, a penguin named Bonaparte has fallen hard for a rubber boot.

In the case of Schwani, at least, it would appear to be a long-term thing. Hermann-Josef Hericks, who runs the farm where the swan lives, told the tabloid Bild that Schwani has been beak-over-heels for a blue, 39 horsepower tractor for several years. "Ever since we bought the tractor three years ago, Schwani has been following it everywhere it goes," Hericks told the paper.

'Tractor as a Sexual Partner'
 
In its always-sincere effort to get to the bottom of the story, Bild phoned up animal behaviorist Daniela Fiutak to ask why Schwani would do such a thing. "The swan presumably had contact with machines during puberty," she said. "He sees the tractor as a sexual partner."

Bonaparte's infatuation, on the other hand, is of more recent origin. Recently, the gentoo penguin has taken to following his trainer around the enclosure -- in the vain hope of getting a little time alone with one of the trainer's rubber boots.


The boots, black with a white sole, look like a female penguin lying on the ground, according to one possible explanation for Bonaparte's behavior. "I have never seen such a thing before," Bonaparte's keeper, Dennis Kübler, told a local paper.

That may be true. But last year also saw Sea Life having breeding troubles in their penguin enclosure. A pair of birds that seemed deeply in love -- and even built themselves a nest together -- ultimately proved unable to have babies. They were, as it turned out, both males.

Schwani's confusion is likewise not as unique as one might think. Five years ago, a black swan named Petra made headlines in Germany for her love affair with a plastic pedal boat. To Petra's credit, though, the boat was shaped like a swan.

 Source
cgh -- with wire reports

This Week's Pencognito!

http://pengcognito.com/pengtoons/willwork-1.jpg
 http://pengcognito.com/pengtoons/willwork-2.jpghttp://pengcognito.com/pengtoons/willwork-3.jpghttp://pengcognito.com/pengtoons/willwork-4.jpg
 Please visit Jen and all the Pengies here

Friday, April 8, 2011

Image of the Day

'Scuse pleez, am in hurry."

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Image of the Day

Gentoo Penguin Chick by jdf_927
Gentoo Penguin Chick, a photo by jdf_927 on Flickr.

File this one under: Rocks too large for future nests.

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Image of the Day

Gentoo Penguin with Chick by jdf_927
Gentoo Penguin with Chick, a photo by jdf_927 on Flickr.

The good parent

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Image of the Day

Gentoo Penguin by Connis and Arthur
Gentoo Penguin, a photo by Connis and Arthur on Flickr.

Swimswimswim

Image of the Day

gentooing along by pinguino
gentooing along, a photo by pinguino on Flickr.

Monday, April 4, 2011

Image of the Day

Antarctica by rick ligthelm
Antarctica, a photo by rick ligthelm on Flickr.

Ta-daaaa!

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Image of the Day

Antarctica by Lbc42
Antarctica, a photo by Lbc42 on Flickr.

Honey, I'm hooooome!

Saturday, April 2, 2011

Image of the Day

GENTOO PENGUIN CHICK by OLDBOB77
GENTOO PENGUIN CHICK, a photo by OLDBOB77 on Flickr.

Recently introduced to water. Penguin vote: 2 thumbs up!

This Week's Pencognito!

http://pengcognito.com/pengtoons/notethinking-1.jpghttp://pengcognito.com/pengtoons/notethinking-2.jpghttp://pengcognito.com/pengtoons/notethinking-3.jpghttp://pengcognito.com/pengtoons/notethinking-4.jpgPlease visit Jen and all the Pengies by clicking here!