The Kids are Growing Up!
Compare this picture with Jan 12. There are very few adults in this sub-colony now. Most are out foraging for food to feed these hungry chicks. Over half the chicks have started to molt. Soon the parents will stop feeding them and they will make their way to the ocean edge, jump in, learn to swim and find their own food.
We will be banding a few in hopes of seeing them back here at Cape Royds in the years to come. We do not expect to see them as one year olds, but will start to look for these chicks in 2009. How many chicks do you think are here? Count the nests in the picture from Dec 3. Most nests start with 2 eggs. The number of chicks in this picture gives us a production rate for this nesting group. Average for the Cape Royds colony is just less than one chick per nest.
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Postcards from the Field: Adelie Penguins 2007
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