Be-Littled Peguins

I've been in away on vacation for a few weeks, I know it's not the best excuse for neglecting my blog, but I can promise that the trip will be a lush source for many blog stories to come.


I was on the southern tip of Australia last month, where hundreds of Little Penguins swim up from the ocean at dusk and waddle across the beach into their little burrows. I settled myself along with the other spectators, onto the concrete staircase and waited for the penguins to emerge along the surf. The beach was illuminated by a very bright floodlight, put there for our viewing pleasure.

Half an hour after waiting, finally one lone penguin emerged. Then in groups, they washed up ashore, swiftly waddled over to, and pressed up against a pile of rocks as if to hide themselves. Some waited there for as long as twenty minutes before they thought it was safe to continue on. Then they furriously waddled up further and finally dissappeared into their nesting area.

I cooed over how cute and silly they were, trying to sneak up onto the beach. But after a while, I felt rather sad for them because they probably couldn't imagine how many people were sitting just beyond the reach of the floodlights, in the safety of natural darkness, watching their fruitless attempts at being undetected.