The colony’s marine biologist, Philippa Agnew, said the highest number of penguins arriving at the colony at any one time was noted during an evening in November, when 301 arrivals were counted.
Dr Agnew said more breeding pairs were recorded at the site this year than last. This season, 295 eggs had been laid, 203 eggs had successfully hatched, 15 had already fledged, 42 eggs were being incubated, and there was still time for penguins which laid eggs earlier in the season to hatch another pair of chicks.
Several chicks weighed up to 1.5kg, which was even heavier than the normal body weight of an adult of about 1kg.
She said that could be put down to the supply of fish close to the colony.
Dr Agnew said this was great news for the colony’s future, as the heavier the chick the greater its chance of survival.
"It might mean more of them survive to breed which is good for the population.
"They’re a species that is declining outside of areas where they’re not protected."
In a press release, a colony spokeswoman said other smaller colonies in the area were also doing well, and the number of penguins using the underpass installed in September was increasing. Up to 50 penguins used it each night.
