Penguin Report
2008-2009
Regular monitoring of the
penguin colony goes on as usual. We have a steady base of 25 volunteers who
come in all types of weather to count, weigh, record and check on the health of
the penguin population at St Kilda Breakwater. Some of our updated data is
listed below.
We received a substantial
donation from groups in the City of Port Phillips’ sister city of Obu Japan and
this has been allocated for analysis of penguin feathers. Heavy metals and
other toxins are stored in penguin feathers. Feathers are easily collected at
moult and this enables us to test the
penguins without having to take blood samples. This research will be carried
out by Sherrie Carrels as part of her PhD.
We had a donation from
Parks Victoria which was spent on new microchip scanners and implanters and
some light weight scales.
We also received a donation
from the St Kilda Stand Up Paddle Boarding company and this will enable us to
purchase a few more microchips.
Followers of our one legged
penguin ‘pegleg’ will be pleased to know he is alive and well but has moved
higher up the breakwater. He was living with two different females but did not
father any chicks this year.
Frequency of
recapture within a season
Some
of our penguins are caught a few times but they are mostly only caught once in
the season.
|
Number
of times caught |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
Total
number of adult penguin catches |
Number
caught irrespective of recapture |
|
2008-9 |
264 |
99 |
50 |
24 |
9 |
3 |
1 |
1 |
|
|
786 |
451 |
|
2007-8 |
286 |
106 |
42 |
27 |
10 |
9 |
3 |
1 |
1 |
|
1160 |
485 |
|
2006-7 |
317 |
111 |
50 |
16 |
8 |
5 |
|
|
|
1 |
833 |
508 |
|
2005-6 |
346 |
107 |
56 |
28 |
13 |
2 |
2 |
|
1 |
|
939 |
555 |
|
2004-5 |
301 |
101 |
38 |
20 |
4 |
1 |
|
|
|
|
723 |
465 |
|
2003-4 |
225 |
66 |
17 |
6 |
4 |
2 |
|
|
|
|
464 |
320 |
Population Estimate
|
Season |
Number
breeding sites |
Number
individual adults caught |
Total
number of adults caught |
Adults
seen but not caught |
Population
estimate |
|
2008-9 |
170 |
451 |
786 |
1927 |
789 |
|
2007-8 |
184 |
485 |
845 |
1864 |
854 |
|
2006-7 |
177 |
508 |
833 |
1662 |
821 |
|
2005-6 |
221 |
555 |
880 |
1846 |
1025 |
|
2004-5 |
146 |
465 |
684 |
1788 |
677 |
|
2003-4 |
112 |
320 |
426 |
1123 |
520 |
Number
of newly microchipped Penguins
|
Year |
Male |
Female |
Not sure of sex |
Chicks |
Total |
|
2008-9 |
31 |
43 |
5 |
51 |
130 |
|
2007-8 |
39 |
60 |
4 |
43 |
146 |
|
2006-7 |
48 |
50 |
3 |
42 |
143 |
|
2005-6 |
62 |
96 |
14 |
52 |
224 |
|
2004-5 |
61 |
93 |
12 |
26 |
192 |
|
2003-4 |
62 |
111 |
12 |
32 |
217 |
