Yellow-eyed Penguin
In Dunedin. I went to a facility run by the Otago Peninsula Eco Restoration Alliance, or OPERA, which is dedicated to conservation, rehabilitation, restoration, and education regarding wildlife on the Otago Peninsula. One of their projects involved helping the Yellow-eyed Penguin (or Hoiho). Only 1,200-1,500 are left in the world. This species is very shy and does not tolerate disturbance by humans. We saw one walking from the water toward its nest in the grass next to the beach, but it was more than 100 meters away. The walk did not take long, and had we not been there at that moment, we would have missed seeing the bird. We later saw another do the same walk. However, before that, we saw a young Hoiho who had just come into the OPERA rehab facility during the previous 24 hours. I took photos from close range without disturbing the bird. The Yellow-eyed Penguin features prominently in both the local and national cultures, and one sees images of them in many places. They are on the back of the New Zealand $5 bill, and the species was voted the 2024 New Zealand Bird of the Year.
Yellow-eyed Penguin
In Dunedin. I went to a facility run by the Otago Peninsula Eco Restoration Alliance, or OPERA, which is dedicated to conservation, rehabilitation, restoration, and education regarding wildlife on the Otago Peninsula. One of their projects involved helping the Yellow-eyed Penguin (or Hoiho). Only 1,200-1,500 are left in the world. This species is very shy and does not tolerate disturbance by humans. We saw one walking from the water toward its nest in the grass next to the beach, but it was more than 100 meters away. The walk did not take long, and had we not been there at that moment, we would have missed seeing the bird. We later saw another do the same walk. However, before that, we saw a young Hoiho who had just come into the OPERA rehab facility during the previous 24 hours. I took photos from close range without disturbing the bird. The Yellow-eyed Penguin features prominently in both the local and national cultures, and one sees images of them in many places. They are on the back of the New Zealand $5 bill, and the species was voted the 2024 New Zealand Bird of the Year.