Tawaki Project

Want to help us figure out how many Erect-crested penguins there are on the Antipodes Islands? Our Zooniverse project 'Penguins From Above' has launched. Come and help us count penguins! bit.ly/count-penguins

Our work in the subantarctic region relies on the use of drones. We are incredibly lucky to partner with @DroneDeploy who have the best flight app on the market, process our data in the cloud, and now have implemented AI counting of penguins! Awesome!! dronedeploy.com/blog/counting-…

On the Antipodes, one week earlier, a lot of the penguin chicks were almost ready to leave. This apparent difference in timing of breeding, is likely another puzzle piece that we need to understand, why penguins are doing better on the Bounties.

Two islands, different story. On 31 January, Erect-crested penguin chicks on the Bounty Islands, were almost all still downy fluff balls that had at least another 3-4 week until they were ready to fledge.

Want to hear about some of the work we're doing on the subantarctic islands? Well, thanks to @RNZScience and @cconcannonsci producing another great episode of the 'Our Changing World' podcast you can now do so. rnz.co.nz/national/progr…

With all these recent subantarctic adventures, here's a link to this year's Seaweek campaign to remember the real tawaki in the house! seaweek.org.nz/creature-conte…

One thing we did not quite expect was the speed at which Eastern Rockhopper penguin chicks developed. Even though "Rocky chicks" hatched 3-4 weeks after the Erect-crested penguins, the chicks moult into their juvenile plumage at the same time as the Erect-crested penguins.

Erect-crested penguins are an inherently aggressive species. Probably understandable given the limited space available for breeding. Bloody territorial disputes are quite common. Even moulting juveniles on the Bounty Islands have minor squabbles that often amount to nothing.

The Evohe at the Bounties. With storm delays causing a late departure from the Antipodes, we had one shot at getting on to deploy satellite tags, fly drone missions, maintain time lapse cameras, and perform disease screening. We couldn't have picked a better day than 31-Jan-2024!

Fledging is imminent on Antipodes Island. The Erect-crested penguin chicks by now have all moulted into their blue juvenile plumage and are ready to go. The first of the parent birds have left the island in their pre-moult trips and are heading south towards the polar front.

Perfectly timed photobomb by a Salvin's albatross during our 8-hour stop-over on the Bounty Islands. We got a lot of work done from deployments of satellite tags on Erect-crested penguins and drone surveys, to disease screening in albatrosses and penguins.

@nzskylovingdiva No sign of disease on either Antipodes or Bounties. All good so far. This was more routine screening; our main goal was actually the population survey and satellite tracking study of Erect-crested penguins.

@TawakiProject So very saddening to learn on the news that the avian flu has reached Antarctica...😔 I hope the birds you came across are...and will remain...disease-free...🙏

All good things must come to an end. We're on our way back to civilization. Still 500 km from home the Tawaki Project already made the news. rnz.co.nz/national/progr…

"You an Android guy or an iPhone hipster?"

Do penguins ever sweat? Well, no. But when they get hot they have their way of coping with the heat. On a sweltering day (like it was in Stack Bay today) the birds stand there flippers outstretched, feet red to pass some of the heat off via their circulation, and panting.

📷 Female Erect-crested penguins are having an increasingly hard time. Her partner is also out at sea finding food for their chick. This makes her attractive to unpaired males trying to stake their claim for the next season. Feeding a chick while fending of suitors is no fun.

The Erect-crested penguin chicks are well an truly on their way to become proper penguins. Some chicks in our study colony have completed their moult and are practically ready to go. Others not so much. Most of them look as if they are part of an avant-garde fashion show.

Drab & dapper.

Penguins in the Mist.

The first moulters have started to shed their feathers. These are mainly juvenile birds and non-breeders but they already give us an idea what a feathery chaos the penguin colonies will become when the main portion of the population gets to that stage.