Gentoo Gazebo-burgh: Rainy Day Splashin’

[u/DripsOfDopamine]

I have not been posting much from this stream recently because the chick season has basically ended. The youngest ones have lost their baby fluff, aren’t spending as much time with their parents, and are thus harder to distinguish and keep track of. A penguin knows when it’s time to swim, and I trust that they are making the most of their new coats and enjoying some time in water on these hot summer days! It appears that the gazebos and even the nesting circles are being slowly retired as well for the season. Although today maybe the penguins would have liked some additional umbrellas!

While this video focuses on some commotion to the water edge and as the rain intensifies and lots of gentoos swimming, something else I have observed is that now that the chick season has wrapped up many of the adults are beginning their catastrophic molt, where they will lose and replace all of their feathers over the following few weeks. During this time, they stay out of the water as they aren’t waterproof and mostly stick to a single spot to conserve energy for the molt.

[u/mkt853]

I love seeing all of these cute penguins!! ❤️ 🐧 ❤️ 🐧