Oamaru’s little penguin chicks are fattening up “nicely” despite flooding runoff creating murky conditions for parents out gathering food along the coast. Little penguins faced “mediocre” foraging conditions last week, Oamaru Penguins said in an update. The team at Oamaru Penguins were out monitoring the main colony, at the end of Waterfront Rd, on Wednesday last week and were “pleased to report that the chicks have gained weight nicely’’ which was “encouraging” in the circumstances. The flooding had also added to knowledge of storm impacts on the penguins, with a video tracker showing up “some pretty murky water”. Oamaru Penguins science and environmental manager Dr Philippa Agnew told the Oamaru Mail there had been a “little drop” in numbers of penguins arriving following flooding earlier this month. The sea had been relatively calm despite the heavy rains. When penguins were breeding, they also made more effort to come ashore even in poor conditions, she said. There was no impact on chick growth which was “really encouraging”.
