Early breeding season may have reduced penguin numbers at Caroline Bay
joanne.holden@stuff.co.nz night, the number of penguins both full-grown and juvenile emerging from the sea to meet them fluctuates between 10 and two at a time, Timaru Penguins member Fraser Ross said.
He was unsure why numbers were down, especially since the birds enjoyed a early and bountiful breeding season, but guessed it was related to either predators or food.
‘‘They can go up to 25 kilometres a day to get food.
‘‘That’s a long way to go,’’ Ross said.
There was not much the group dedicated to the town’s penguins could do to protect the birds while they were foraging at sea, he said.
‘‘They’re natural old birds and we don’t have much control.
‘‘Our main role is to ensure the penguins, when they’re there [at Caroline Bay], have space.’’
Timaru Penguins co-ordinator Peter Bennett said the early breeding As the forecast for today, above, shows we are in for another cracker day in South Canterbury. After weeks of rain the recent warmer temperatures have been a welcome relief for many. It’s also a good chance for people to check out the Caroline Bay Carnival, Morris Dancing action and harness racing in town. Enjoy the weekend. editor@timaruherald.co.nz season might be the key to understanding why numbers were down. ‘‘They must have known they needed to breed early this time due to the poor weather,’’ Bennett said.
‘‘They’re a lot smarter than we think and they know the sea better than we do.’’
The result was peak time had moved from late December-early January to late October-early November this season, Bennett said.
Ross said people visiting the beach to see the penguins came from all over the world – from the Netherlands, to Canada, to a small island off the coast of South America that he had never heard of.
Visitors had the best chance of seeing the birds between 10pm and 11pm and were generally wellbehaved, Ross said.
‘‘We do need to ask people to shift off the rocks or off the sand.
‘‘We try to do it as nicely as possible and most people do respond.’’
The glaring exception was a motorist who ran down a little blue penguin, allegedly doing so on purpose, as it crossed the Marine Parade on December 9.
Ross said the investigation into the bird’s death, which is in the hands of the Department of Conservation’s Geraldine branch, was ongoing.
Dog tracks spotted on the beach also worried Ross, as dogs were the biggest killer of penguins.