Mid June, July to Mid August — Renovating or finding a nest / burrow. The male arrives early to get the nest / burrow ready and attract his mate.
July, August to November — Two eggs are laid. They take 5 weeks to hatch. Both parents take turns to sit on the eggs and then feed the babies. Adults swap duties after sunset.
November, December, January — At 8 – 10 weeks the chicks fluffy down is replaced with waterproof adult feathers. They now can head out to sea and fish for themselves.
December to Mid March — As chicks gain independence, adults can eat lots to gain weight before moulting (loosing their feathers / wetsuit). While moulting, they cannot go to sea without their waterproof feathers, so they have to stay on land and look very scruffy. They are vulnerable at this stage trying to keep hidden during the day and only coming out at night. With new feathers, they then begin to divide time between feeding back in the ocean and renovating their burrows on land.
January to Mid July — Feeding & Resting. They hang around Caroline Bay nightly, but during the day they can swim up to 25kmfrom the coast.
Little Penguins average lifespan is 7 years but can live up to 25 years and swim at approx. 6kph.
Enjoy your time and give them space on the Marine Parade or down on the sand at night as the Little Penguins walk up the beach to their nests.
Kind Regards – Mother Penguin