SG Voyage Notes – 3. Wildlife Species Focus – The Gentoo Penguin.

If at all waddling can be made to look elegant, it is the Gentoo who can pull it off. One of the four varieties of Penguins found on the Island, they are the surest, busiest and probably the most curious towards presence of humans. these penguins were the first ones that we encountered on our landing at a site called Undine harbour and I didn’t know how to react as one walked right up to me and filled my frame more and more as I was crouched on the beach photographing the chappie coming out of the beach. When he came too close, I stopped shooting and sat up. He looked at me curiously for a good few seconds before walking off. While photographing wildlife, one is desperately trying to go close to the subjects. This was the first occasion where my subject walked right up to me as if to ask what I was doing! These penguins are known to be committed and diligent mates and parents and I saw a scene of a pair of them building their nest stone by stone that I captured on video featured here. The other thing that struck me about their behaviour was the fact that they always seemed to take the route in and out of the beach through colonies of Elephant Seals even though it seemed to me fraught with danger, given the fact that the seals, with all their girth, had a tendency to move chaotically within the colony. Maybe there is some security for them from predators in taking that route, as the seals don’t attack these Penguins.
Video of the Gentoos building their nest is available here – Warning. It could be like watching a Malayalam art movie, but the cuteness factor makes it worth it I think!!