Penguins need very little description, they are of course recognised by everyone. Surprisingly there are only 17 species worldwide, all found in the southern Hemisphere. I have been lucky enough to see 6 different species in the wild. Most recently, the African Penguin, at Simonstown in South Africa and also out at sea off Cape Point. This penguin, although not the most northerly species, never the less, breeds in a very temperate climate and has strategies for dealing with a warm climate. My first species ever was the Galapagos Penguin. This is the most northerly Penguin exclusively found in the Galapagos. Their existence is fragile to say the least. There seems to be only an estimated 1000 remaining now and due to development of the Islands, fishing and tourism, their future is insecure. It seems a total contradiction that the main threat is from tourism and from people that care enough to travel to see them! Quite a quandary. My recollections and memories of seeing this species are as clear now as the day I saw them in 1972. We were going ashore from the Royal Yacht Britannia in a small rubber craft. The Penguins were on the sharp, jagged rocks that bordered the small bays. As we cruised in slowly towards the rocks I remember seeing the small penguins shooting under water beneath the boat. A wonderfull sight. Unfortunately, all the photographs taken on that trip were on 'half-frame" slidess and haven't survived the 40 years.
My next Penguin encounters were also very special. I was in the Falkland Islands with the Royal Marine Band. We had just arrived on the island and while my fellow band members made a bee-line to the pub, I made my way to an area about 2 miles from the main airport camp. When I got to the beach area I managed to photograph a small colony of Gentto Penguin. If my memory serves me correctly, there were only 10 or so breeding pairs of Gentoo here. This species nests above ground and this small colony was at the edge of the beach in an isolated spot. It was late evening and on this lonely beach, standing close to the surf, like two holiday makers on a day trip, were two King Penguins! This is probably the best and most memorable wildlife moment of my life, quite a lucky encounter with two non-breeding birds, the rarest Falkland Island breeding penguin. Unfortunately, I didnt have a camera with me and I can only tell the story. Two species that I did photograph in the Falklands were the Magellanic Penguin - Spheniscus magellanicus.This pair were breeding in a burrow close to Port Stanley. At that time, the presence of minefileds left over from the recent Falklands war was having a very positive effect, enabling birds like the Magallenic Penguin to breed in the sand dunes near to Port Stanley without being disturbed.
Magellanic Penguin - Spheniscus magellanicus, Port Stanley Falkland Islands
However, my trip to a Rockhopper Penguin colony was a once in a lifetime affair. I managed to "blag" a lift in an RAF Wessex Helicopter and was taken to a massive colony which contained thousands of pairs of Rockhoppers, an amazing spectacle. The noise was tremendous and the smell very strong. It was amusing to see them making their way up to the colony from the sea in single file, a journey of hundreds of yards across the steep grassy banks. Being part of a band at the time, famous for marching along in straight lines, I found this very amusing.
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