Little Penguins

Kyrstie and her family took me to Phillip Island to see the smallest penguins in the world - the Little Penguin, originally called the Fairy Penguin. I never even knew there were penguins in Australia. These particular penguins have dark blue feathers, not black. They are only about a foot tall. Every night the Little Penguins come up to the shore at dusk to sleep in little burrows for the night. It was quite a sight to see these penguins slowly emerging from the water. The stars were out and the sky was clear and full of stars. I could see the Milky Way, part of Orion, and the Southern Cross (no North Star in this hemisphere).They came up out of the water very slowly,in groups. They were very timid. With good reason, since they are at their most vulnerable to predators on the beach. Their main predators are humans and introduced species such as foxes, cats and dogs. Four penguins would come out from the water and one would get spooked and then all four would waddle back into the waves again. Gradually, hundreds of Little Penguins made their way up the beach and into their burrows. We walked onto the viewing platform to see them up close in their burrows. They made the cutest little noises. What an amazing experience!

Tomorrow I say goodbye to Tessa and the rest of the gang and continue my adventure up to Sydney.