Macquarie Island Adventure: King Penguins

Hi.
It has been quite a while since my last post on Albatross It has been a busy time here on this magnificent island. We have had 13 tourist vessels visit Macquarie Island over the summer. The reaction from the tourists who come ashore at the station, Sandy Bay or a viewing from zodiacs off Lusitania is always the same. They are astounded by the wildlife.

Previously I have inserted the following text…..

"The little island is one of the wonder spots of the world. It is the great focus of the seal and bird life in the Australian sub-Antarctic regions, and is consequently of greater significance and importance in the economy of that great area than its small dimensions suggest" Sir Douglas Mawson, 1919

As my time on the island is coming to an end, I will endeavour to complete some posts on the wildlife - starting with the King penguin

King penguins at Sandy Bay approximately 8 km south of the station on the East Coast

Out of the four penguin species on Macquarie island, the king penguin is the largest. As a matter of fact it is the second largest penguin in the world, with the emperor penguin being the largest.

They have amazingly beautiful coloured plumage and grow to a height of 85 to 95 cm (2.8 to 3.1 ft).
Typically the female is slightly smaller then the male and a immature bird has a more lemon-yellow cheek and throat patches.

The distinct marked plumage of a king penguin

King penguin sleeping

Pair of king penguins on the isthmus near station

There are approximately 120,000 pairs of king penguins on Macquarie Island, being part of the 2 to 3 million pairs worldwide. Their range is about the sub-Antarctic islands between 45° S and 55° S. There are several large colonies on the island, mainly on the east coast. The largest colony is at Lusitania Bay.

Part of the Lusitania Bay king penguin colony - September 2013

Part of the Lusitania Bay king penguin colony - January 2014 (taken form a similar position as the photo above)

The best way to see the king penguins at Lusitania Bay is from a IRB or Zodiac as with the following pictures.

Part of the Lusitania Bay king penguin colony - taken from a zodiac from the tourist ship Akademik Sholkowski

Lusitania Bay king penguin colony with Lusitania Creek in the background

Lusitania Bay king penguin colony - with 3 digesters used by the penguin harvesters in the mid to late 1800's and early 1900's

A couple of elephant seals amongst the tightly packed king penguin colony at Lusitania Bay

Old hut at Lusitania Bay (made out of a packing case) which was used for scientific observations of the king penguins

I also had an opportunity to observe the colony from the tussock below the escarpment near Lusitania Creek. On that day the temperature was just above freezing and sleet.

View of the Lusitania Bay penguin colony from the tussock near Lusitania Creek

There is also a big colony at Sandy Bay. This colony was all but wiped out by penguin harvesters between 1889 and 1919. King penguins were again discovered breeding at Sandy Bay again in 1974/75, with 7 eggs laid at Finch Creek. In 2013 approximately 900 chicks were born in the Sandy Bay colony, however this was the lowest number of chicks since 2003.

Looking across the Sandy Bay king penguin colony

Another view of the Sandy Bay king penguin colony - note the chick in the foreground

Old hut at Sandy Bay king penguin colony

There is a small breeding colony not far from station on the east coast at the base of Gadgets Gully. I have visited this colony often and have become familiar with the seasonal activity and breeding cycle of the king penguins.

Small king penguin colony at Gadgets Gully

Looking from the beach up Gadgets Gully and the king penguins that reside there

There is also sizeable populations of king penguins at Green Gorge and the Nuggets.

The king penguin colony at Green Gorge after a snow storm in October

Some of the king penguins at Green Gorge

A wildlife mix - king and royal penguins skirt around a group of elephant seals

The king penguins have quite a different breeding cycle to the other penguins on the island. The period from breeding to a chick fletching is around 14 months. They tend to breed twice in 3 years. Egg laying is spread out from November to February. Thus in the first year they would lay early, in the second year after fletching a chick they would lay late, then in the third year not breed at all.

King penguins don't build nests, they lay a single egg which is kept on top of their feet and covered by a brood pouch

King penguin with an egg on its feet, partially covered by its brood pouch

King penguins can breed at 3 years of age but are not usually successful until they are 6 years of age. Once the egg is laid both parents take it in turn to incubate the egg for 40 to 55 days. Once hatched both parents take turns guarding the chick, while the other parent is out feeding.

Young king penguin chick in the middle of the Gadgets Gully colony

Young king penguin chick with both of its parents on the edge of the Gadgets Gully colony

Older king penguin chick in the middle of the Gadgets Gully colony

After 6 weeks the chicks are big enough to be left alone. At this time the form up into crèches for the next nine months. During this nine months, most of it over winter, the parents are out foraging up to 250 to 500 kilometres from the island. The food is scarce so some chicks don't get fed for months at a time. Consequently the morality rate for the chicks is high.

Young king penguin chicks at Gadgets Gully starting to form a crèche

A large crèche of king penguin chicks at Gadgets Gully - they huddle together for warmth and protection

Large crèche amongst the king penguin colony at Green Gorge

After the nine months in the crèche the chicks grow to a be almost as big as their parents and are covered in brown downy feathers.

King penguin chick just before loosing its down.

After the nine months the chicks gradually lose their downy coat and become young adults.

King penguin chick shedding its downy feathers

Awkward age - change from chick to adult

Because their breeding cycle is over 3 years, there is always penguins occupying the colony. For us this meant we could see them in the various colonies throughout the year.

The reproductive cycle begins with the penguins moulting between September and November. It looks decidedly uncomfortable.