June 28, 2018, Otago Peninsula, New Zealand. A one-day tour of Otago is like going to a gourmet restaurant, having the amuse bouche, and leaving — but there we were, and we were going to get everything out of our day that we could. Tony said it was very important that we get to the beach by 3:45.
“Why?”
“Because that’s when the penguins come home from work.”
“Oh. Really? 3:45? Exactly?”
“Within a very few minutes of that.”
And so we went.
We arrived a bit early and positioned ourselves, just in time for a nine-hundred-pound juvenile New Zealand sea lion to chase of off the beach.
Reminds me of an exchange in Avatar:
(Referring to a large and very threatening creature) “What about that one?”
“Run. Definitely run.”
We ran. (Perhaps a bonus post about that soon.)
I was just regrouping from rapid sea lion avoidance when Tony stage-whispered to me to move back about a meter and be very quiet. I did and I looked to the right. Plop plop. Plop plop. Plop plop. The commuter came up off the beach and plodded by like I wasn’t there. My shutter clicks bothered him not a bit.
A few minutes later, two more came marching by in step. And then another and another. About a dozen in all — some eyeing slumbering sea lions to whom they gave a wide berth, hoping they wouldn’t wake up.
According to Wikipedia, these are possibly the most ancient of all living penguins. There are only about four thousand of these determined creatures left. All in New Zealand and neighboring islands. They deserve respect.
(Nikon D500, Nikon 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR. RAW processing in DxO Pro; Editing in Adobe Photoshop.)
AMAGA Photography Blog 
They do appear in lockstep. I hope they continue to multiply and be fruitful.
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They were, and so do I.
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So beautiful, these shots! 🙂
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Thanks Nuno. Beautiful creatures.
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Yes, indeed! 😃
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I appreciate all the curves and textures you recorded in the penguin’s head and neck.
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Thanks Steve. Can you imagine when I first went through the day’s take after downloading the photos?
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Oh my, how super
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Thank you Paula.
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The background’s perfect. It so resembles a theater scrim, it’s easy to imagine this pair on stage, performing for an appreciative audience.
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Perhaps with Charlie Chaplinesque dance?
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Could be. Lots of Australian creatures like to dance.
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Wonderful. Thank you. Definitely took lessons from Charlie Chaplin.
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I can imagine the thrill of seeing these in the wild, especially for the first time. Excellent shots, Michael.
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Thank you very much. It was an almost religious experience.
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When I read “determined” in your story, it was an echo, that was definitely the word that popped into my head, looking at the photos. Great shots
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Thank you. Very determined. They will need to gain the ability to swim farther in order to survive. As the water gets warmer and warmer, they’ll need to swim farther and farther.
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The whole imagery of running from the sea lions is still in my mind… then these penguins. Plop plop plop. Great pictures inside and outside of my mind
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Glad that there are pictures in both places. I’ll do the sea lion very soon.
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That is a cool shot, Michael!
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Thank you very much Amy.
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oh, the eyes!
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They are beautiful, are they not?
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And you gave them respect, I think. They are serious looking fellows. I haven’t heard about them – there are more penguin species than we imagine there are. Great story, Michael, and I love the timing of the second photo, with those left feet raised and those purposeful expressions. Wonderful.
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Thank you. We gave them great respect. Tony is part of the Conservancy project and shared as much information as he could. They do seem to be extremely determined.
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Love ‘em!
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Thank you. Me too!
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😊😊
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