Breeding Season Update: Encouraging signs for the colony
The breeding season for the Little Penguins of Eden is officially underway, and we’re excited to share the latest updates on the progress of this critical time for our Little Penguin population. Over the past few weeks, we’ve been working closely with Nicholas Carlile, a leading expert on Little Penguin conservation, to monitor our two key sites, and the results have been both promising and revealing.
Site 1: Positive Signs of Penguin Activity
At our first site, we’ve encountered some fantastic news. Our monitoring efforts have uncovered signs of active nesting, with two penguins already established in the area, one of which is sitting on eggs. This is an incredibly positive sign, as it indicates that the penguins are not only returning to their familiar nesting grounds but are also actively preparing for the breeding season. In addition to the pair on eggs, we discovered three other potential nest sites in the area.
This is a significant achievement, especially after the challenges the colony faced in previous years. The presence of multiple nesting sites provides hope that we will see an increase in penguin activity as the season progresses. Volunteers will be visiting the site every week to monitor the progress of the nesting penguins, ensuring that we can provide ongoing support and protect the colony from any potential threats.
Site 2: Slow Progress but Hopeful for the Future
While the first site showed encouraging results, the second site has been somewhat quieter. We did locate a penguin under a rock, possibly a male, that has been microchipped. However, we did not observe any additional signs of activity, and no eggs or nests were found.
Unfortunately, this site has been heavily impacted by the storms and huge swells which luckily came outside the breeding season. With unpredictable weather affecting the area, we’ll need to keep monitoring closely to see if more penguins return in the coming weeks. The storms and rough seas may have displaced some of the birds, but by providing nests above the storm surge area we remain hopeful that it may encourage them to return.
New Artificial Nests and Further Monitoring
In brighter news, we’ve made great strides in preparing for the next phase of the breeding season. Four new nesting sites have been identified for set up with artificial nests, offering the penguins more secure and sheltered locations to raise their young. In addition, three more nests will be installed in another gully that hasn’t been as impacted by the heavy seas.
Our volunteers will be out on the water soon, kayaking to install these new nests in the areas we’ve identified. We’ll be sure to update you once this job is completed, and we’re excited to see how these new nesting sites are received by the penguins. Artificial nests have proven to be a successful tool in boosting breeding success in other locations around Australia, providing penguins with safe, sturdy locations to lay their eggs.
A Strong Start to the Breeding Season
Overall, the Little Penguin breeding season is off to a great start! With the discovery of new nesting locations around Eden, we’re optimistic about the future of this colony. Already, we have one penguin sitting on eggs, with the potential for five more nests to be occupied in the coming weeks. As the season progresses, the Little Penguins are busy building their nests, laying eggs, and fattening up to prepare for the demanding weeks ahead, when they’ll need all their energy to care for their hungry chicks.
With ongoing monitoring and the installation of new nests, we’re confident that these Little Penguins are on their way to a successful breeding season. We’ll continue to keep the community updated on their progress and thank all the volunteers who are making this important work possible.
Stay tuned for more updates, and thank you for your continued support in helping us protect and conserve the Little Penguins of Eden!
