King Penguins (Aptenodytes patagonicus), Falkland Islands

Penguins are the most conspicuous residents of the Falkland Islands with five penguin species calling the islands home.  Although penguins are members of the class Aves and are similar in many respects to their aerial cousins, they cannot fly and when on the land they cannot help but appear a little ungainly.  This ungainliness ceases once they become waterborne and to witness dozens of penguins porpoise through the water is an amazing sight.  Beneath the waves they are graceful as any of their aerial relatives as they use their strong flippers to propel themselves through the water.  Their tails are used as rudders and it is quite astonishing to see the flexibility in movement made by these animals when on the move.

LEFT: A King Penguin stand erect flapping ots flippers in the morning sun.

Penguins can dive to astonishing depths to feed on small fish and cephalopods and are exceptionally adapt at capturing their prey.  To aid in the capture of prey, the beaks of some species have serrated teeth (saw backs) which are reverse positioned.  Any fish or squid captured cannot escape forwards out of the beak because its body is pushed against the direction of the teeth.

King Penguins

The King Penguin is the largest of the penguin species found in the Falkland Islands and is aptly named as it exudes a grace similar to that of royalty.  The exceptionally attractive colours of this penguin define themselves in the penguin world as upper echelon; a king penguin will stand royally either alone or in a small group, occasionally stretching itself to full height to bray.  Rarely do the kings run, but they walk very quickly.  They have an average weight of around 17 kilos and stand at a tad over a meter in height.   

I was lucky to be able to share for a few days,  the house belonging to the conservation officer responsible for the colony, and as such was able to spend an unlimited time observing and photographing the kings as they went about their daily business. 

Poor Weather and Challenging Photographic Conditions

The weather wasn’t the best and dappled light would present itself between cloudy overcast conditions as rain squalls passed through the area.  The light wasn’t an issue for me but the wind was!  For much of my time in this area gale force winds blew ensuring that photography was very challenging. 

LEFT: A King Penguin adolescent undergoes its first moult.  Traces of the long hairs found on juvenile animals is still evident.

Using a long lens was problematic due to the wind causing excessive vibration of the lens, and using a lens close to the sand was painful as entrained sand entered every crack and crevice of a lens and camera body – even if covered with a protective cover. I could have increased the ISO to achieve a faster shutter speed to counter against the wind vibrating the lens, but I wanted the photographs to be as noise free as possible.  It was a matter of waiting for a brief lull during wind gusts and optimizing this time for picture taking.  But the weather didn’t seem to bother the kings who grouped together in a tight colony protecting the females with eggs and youngsters within.

LEFT:  Obtaining a good vantage point to shoot downards into the colony is difficult, however this image shows you the density of penguins in a small section of the colony.

Moulting

The Kings were in various stages of development.  In the center of the colony were the mothers with eggs and very young day old chicks, whilst intermingled throughout were the youngsters and adolescents , the former still sporting long hairy down coats.  Some individuals were part way through their first moult and the striking colours and pattern which is prominent on this species of penguin were only beginning to show.

To Swim or not to Swim

At the beach, despite the frigid and windy conditions, a small group of kings moved along the high tide mark, waddling to and fro seeking guidance from the lead penguin who was searching for an appropriate place to enter the surf zone to swim.  Other penguins nearby hunkered down in the blustery conditions seeking rest and I was amazed that they could even think of sleep whilst being continually sand-blasted.

LEFT:  A group of King Penguins waddle along the beach waiting for the leader to decide whether it's safe to enter the water.  You can see the windblown sand that was nearly always present in the first metre above the ground.

Occasionally an argument ensured between the individuals waiting to swim, but rather than verbal exchange, each penguin used their exceptionally powerful flippers to maintain personal space or settle the disagreement.  As a flipper from one bird struck another you could hear the swak of the impact.  The behavior reminded me of a New York City policeman clubbing a felon with his truncheon or baton.

The penguins were not worried about my presence and after several hours observing and photographing them I almost felt like an honorary member of the colony.  But, although for the most part approachable, they are still wild animals and it's not prudent to get too close as this stresses the animals unduly.

In my next Falkkand Islands post, we will look at some of the other smaller penguins that live in islands.

Comments

[Donald Miller]

Stunning colors. It must have been wonderful to be the penguins

[James Reed]

What a life! Fantastic shots mate - keep up the good stuff. I always slide by to check out what's new

[Pat Ulrich]

Penguins are such fascinating birds, and I love your shots in this post. The way the colors on their neck really stand out in the group shot is awesome!

[Iain Williams]

Thanks Pat. I enjoyed the 3 weeks in the Falklands