Penguins!

Meeting thousands of penguin chicks is such fun. They are adorable creatures, from the very young ones that are barely visible underneath the parents, to the now-molting juveniles wandering about the colony, soon to take to the sea. Each year, some penguin colonies do better than others. Some places, skuas seem to have eaten many penguin eggs. Other places, there are a lot of empty nests, or parents sitting on the eggs far later in the season than they'll be able to raise any resulting chicks. Yet there are always sites where there are plentiful chicks, who all seem fat & happy, congregating around the nest or with others in the colony. Sometimes their bellies are near white and they are easily distinguished. Other times, the chicks are coated in mud & guano, like the chinstrap penguin chick pictured to the right. No matter what, I can't get enough of their antics. Whether they are ganging up with a parent on intruders or running away from a nearby skua, they are truly a delight.