How to help our little blue penguins thrive and survive
Monday, 23 July 2018
With the kororā/little penguin breeding season upon us, it's a timely reminder for all bach and homeowners (and their guests) in the Marlborough Sounds to put some measures in place to make coexistence a little easier for both parties.
The little penguin, often known as the little blue penguin, is the smallest penguin species in the world. They are found from the Chatham Islands across to the southern coast of Australia and breed in large colonies or isolated pairs.
Weighing in at about 1kg and standing just over 30cm, they are surprisingly agile and robust for their size. Their scientific name 'eudyptula minor' means 'good little diver'.
Little penguins spend most of their days out at sea feeding on schooling bait fish, squid and small crustacean species before returning to their land-based nesting sites after dusk.
**READ MORE:
* Thousands of dead blue penguins
* La Nina has killed thousands of North Island little blue penguins
* Little Blue penguins attacked by dogs at Kuaotunu, Coromandel
* Little blue penguins moulting as winter approaches**
Unfortunately, little penguin numbers are on the decline and their conservation status is officially 'at risk'. Threats include predators such as domestic and feral cats, dogs, stoats and rats.
Sadly, humans are also impacting penguin numbers with encroachment causing habitat loss to coastal breeding sites, set net entanglements and death from vehicles.
Little penguins prefer nesting sites where burrows can be excavated by themselves or other species. However, they often make do under logs and vegetation such as grasses and tussocks, inside caves, rock crevices and a variety of man-made structures and building materials.
Having access to dark, dry and sheltered nests play a vital role towards their breeding success.
From July to February, these nocturnal visitors often find shelter under our living spaces. For anyone living along the coast, penguins moving in under houses can create a bit of dilemma. Amazing as it is to have wildlife living amongst us, their noisy chattering in the middle of the night and their rather fishy aroma make for less than ideal flatmates.
Relocation is near impossible and impracticable due to little penguins homing nature but there are several other actions you can take.
Deterring them from nesting under your house is the best solution. Make sure all entry points are blocked off with wire mesh. Another possible solution could be a bright light close to the nesting area. Providing a nesting box away from your house may be a successful alternative. These proactive actions should be done prior to the breeding season as disturbing them once they have started nesting will result in the death of the egg or chick.
Other actions to help little penguins coexist include setting a trap for stoats and rats to help reduce predators around the nest. Pet owners can help penguins by shutting dogs and cats inside to prevent them from coming in to contact when penguins arrive ashore at dusk.
While living near the coast is the high life for some, co-existence between humans and animals must find a balance. Our coastal native wildlife was here well before we moved into this paradise we all call home.
Further information and instructions on how-to can be found on the DOC website.