The Traveling Richters » Red Rocks Ridge

A Few More Penguins From Red Rocks Ridge, Antarctica

Jake Richter — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 12:27:09 +0000

A few more penguin pictures to share – they are just such beautiful (and cute) creatures.

An adult Adelie penguin

The same Adelie adult with wings srpread out while waddling along

An Adelie penguin giving me the 'eye'

The Bas and Krystyana penguins with their buddies

Another adult Adelie penguin view

Nesting Adelie penguins have great views of the glaciers

Penguins Build Nests Too

Jake Richter — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 12:04:20 +0000

Penguins, just like most birds, build nests. However, since there are few if any plants large enough to harvest for nest building materials here in the Antarctic, penguins have resorted to a more practical material – rocks. Penguins collect small stones, rocks, and pebbles and use those to build an elevated rise upon which to nest. The stones serve the purpose of allowing any glacial or snow melt to drain through and under the nest, thus hopefully avoiding freezing the eggs or chicks after they have hatched.

A young adult Adelie penguin picks up a rock to build its nest - a bit late in the season

The young adult Adelie penguin carries its pebble or rock to its nesting site

An abandoned Adelie penguin nest

Video Clip – Adelie Penguin Chick Chasing Adult

Jake Richter — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 10:28:35 +0000

The video upload seemed to work pretty well, so here’s a longer clip of an Adelie penguin chick chasing an adult to get fed. Never knew penguins could run so fast and be so nimble.

Video Clip of an Adelie Penguin Chick Feeding

Jake Richter — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 10:18:58 +0000

I was brave and decided to try and make a short YouTube video with a clip of an Adelie penguin chick feeding. See below.

This was shot with the video mode of my Nikon D300s camera.

The Relationship Between Penguins and Chicks

Jake Richter — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 10:10:25 +0000

Penguin chicks depend on their parents to feed them by regurgitating food the parent has eaten.

Early in the chick’s life the two parents alternate between keeping the chick warm and protected and going out to find food. As a chick gets older, both parents go out to find food to bring back to the chick. If the parents take too long to return, chicks may pursue other adults in the hopes of getting a meal, but adult penguins rarely will feed a chick not their own.

Below are some pictures showing some of these relationships. I am also attempting to make a short feeding video clip available. I’ll post a new note if that works out.

An Adelie chick approaches an adult for food

The adult Adelie rebuffs the chick

The adult Adelie voices its displeasure at the pushy chick

An adult Adelie penguin nips a chick begging for food

Antarctic Fur Seals at Red Rocks Ridge

Jake Richter — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 21:12:46 +0000

Also on shore were fur seals. They were quite stressed due to their molting, and we were advised to stay well away from them. I strayed too close to one (about 35 feet) and was soundly rebuked with a growl and huff.

Fur seal - also molting

A fur seal and its entourage of penguins