Magellanic Penguins with Curator Justin
This live video is pinned to our Instagram for now, but I wanted to put it in here too as it was a rare experience at Sea World San Diego. We also haven’t figured out a way to put it on our YouTube. Hopefully we’ll figure it out soon.
This was Bluie’s first time to Sea World and although they came from an Aquarium, Sea World was different. These were different penguins from the little blues Bluie was used to seeing too. Justin rarely gets to spend time with the penguins as a Curator. It’s awesome that despite that he was open to answering questions. We rarely can think of any when someone is actually around to answer questions. I sometimes think of questions when an expert isn’t around, but not often. Just like Bluie, we’re usually just star struck when we see penguins. But don’t worry, a few people asked many questions. Hopefully some of your questions about Magellanic Penguins are answer in this video. Feel free to ask here too!
Friday July 29, 2022 @ SeaWorld San Diego. Magellanic Penguins with Curator Justin.
https://www.instagram.com/tv/CgnUR_AotFZ/?igshid=MDJmNzVkMjY=
Penguin genes show how they adapted to the cold. Now they’re vulnerable to climate change – ABC News
This is a great article that gives a broad oversight to some of the challenges penguins face due to their lack of ability to evolve and adapt quickly. It also touches a little on the history and herstory of penguin adaptation, including their sense of taste. Now if you ask me, in my observations of captive penguins, penguins are picky eaters. They do prefer certain types of fish, and even the way the fish looks or is facing makes a difference to some penguins. I wonder if they can tell which fish have vitamins in them.
Although the penguins (genus) have been around for around 60 million years, their ability to adapt to the recent rapid changes of their environment pose a lot of concern.
Personally, I’m glad that a lot of attention has been brought to the surface when it comes to the penguins. But it’s bitter sweet that the plight of penguins motivated many people to act in efforts to include penguins into captive survival plans. I’m often torn by my feelings on the subject of captive birds.
Recently in Hawaii, decisions were made that the Akikiki in Kauai needed to be taken into captivity. Last year alone, 8 of Hawaii’s birds were declared extinct by U.S. Fish and Wildlife. It was Hawaii’s bird’s that actually tuned my channel to wildlife conservation. I had no real tangible idea of how helpless wildlife is to human action, inaction, and interaction. When I learned that some of the birds we saw in Hawaii were no longer available for public view, I realized that the pictures my now wife took were suddenly rare. She wanted to retake pictures of certain birds, but we couldn’t go back to retake them, even though she’s a bird biologist herself. In many ways, this was devastating. We tried to find products that featured these birds. We learned that many Hawaiian’s don’t even know their native birds. They’ve never seen them, heard them, or learned of them. And from here on out, they never will…. Trying to find pictures of some of the birds, I realized some of my wife’s images were very rare indeed. It’s unbelievable that some of her images might be the last of the birds taken in their natural environment. Especially at the angles and showing particular features. Scarlett is overly modest about her photography. She thinks her work is not worthy of being shared. My objective comes from my understanding that our images may not be perfect but because they might be the only ones, we’re obligated to share them. We are lucky to always get special access to birds that most people wouldn’t. Scarlett is acknowledged in published works regarding birds. Her photography is often used in government documents and reports too. She will down play all of that too. I’m proud of her despite her feelings about her work. She is a bird ecologist and biologist but her accomplishments were obtained with her having earned just a bachelor’s degree. This is incredibly rare these days. But her passion and desire coupled with her need to see and photograph as many birds as possible in areas where endangered or threatened endemic birds are, she makes these incredibly rare experiences happen. I come along for the ride but even I now borrow a camera to take pictures too. It’s that important.
It’s concerning that recently many Little Blue Penguins aka Korora (formerly and still known as Fairy Penguins but many no longer use this label as it could be seen as offensive and also is not an accurate description of the species. So we also choose not to use this name.) but which is a species of penguins that are of least concern have been washing ashore dead in New Zealand. The reasons are not exactly known but experts suspect climate change and over fishing might have something to do with it. Little Blue Penguins are now here in San Diego at the Birch Aquarium in La Jolla and although they are of least concern now, I cannot help but wonder if that survival status could change and if so, how quickly. Of course I love seeing the penguins. I get to be physically close, observe them personally, and it’s fairly easy for me to visit them. But it concerns me that so many species of birds, penguins and not, are requiring human intervention and even permanent captivity in order to save them. That means that if we want to see these birds, the only choice we have is to keep them captive.
The reason for why we started Surrounded By Penguins, aside from the obvious fact that we love penguins, is because I specifically was clueless to the fragility of birds. I did not know of their plight and took them for granted. I know I’m not alone in my innocent ignorance. Many of the birds we’ve seen in our travels are no longer available for general or even captive viewing. I feel obligated to share what I’m lucky to learn and experience in hopes that we can empower people to help wildlife and their natural environment in any way they can. I want people to understand that any small amount of help makes a difference. I also want to share what images we have of the birds because some of the images we have are actually quite rare with very few or no images of the birds in their natural environment. This is also why currently we do not have pictures of the birds up, they need to be officially copyrighted. Unfortunately we didn’t include metadata on the pictures when they were taken, so if you all know of anyone that can help us do that in bulk, please send them our way!
We’re on the News!
We were featured on the local news for LGBTQIA+ Pride month!

I kinda wish I said different things but I still think I did really well considering. Plus CBS8 did really good by us. Thanks CBS8! Especially Mario Escovado. Aly and Cheryl at SBDC too. I had the big sick at the time this was recorded. I’m proud that I pulled it together to do the interview. The night before I practiced a script, none of that is in the short clip but the whole process took all of me still. I tapped up exactly where the furniture, laptop, myself had to be placed for the shoot. After, I knew I over did it.
What I really love about penguins is that they’re unique. They’ve been around for around 60 million years and are designed like no other birds. They are an anomaly that doesn’t make sense yet they’ve been around thriving for a very long time. They’re easy to connect to in an emotional way because we can relate to them.
What I love is that they also mentioned the Birch Aquarium Little Blue Penguins too!

I love a lot about penguins, sure what I mentioned in the clip is true but especially fit LGBTQIA+ month I wish I pointed out that penguins definitely are the queer birds that keep things simple without much fluff. They definitely may be odd but they got all the right stuff.







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Litter loving penguins?…
We don’t think so…
We’ve been to Omaru and have seen these penguins in real life….
This is why Surrounded By Penguins does Trashy Tuesday Beach Clean Ups.
In case you didn’t know Surrounded By Penguins does a Trashy Tuesdays Beach Clean Up that’s open to the public every Tuesday starting at 7am. We pick up litter on various beaches and put it in its place. We call this event Surrounded By Penguins Trashy Tuesday Beach Clean Up. Folx interested are invited to check our website calendar for where we’ll be next and join. For those unable to join in person, we challenge people worldwide to pick up 2 pieces of litter every Tuesday wherever they are and dispose of the litter appropriately. This we call the “2 for Trashy Tuesday Challenge”. Its been proven that many doing a little has more of an impact than one person doing a lot so we encourage everyone to participate.
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#penguins #penguin #penguinlove #penguinlover #cutepenguin #cutepenguins #pengie #pengies #beachpenguins #penguinsofinstagram #penguinshirt #dreamaccomplished #gratitude #thankyoueveryone #trashytuesdaybeachcleanup #trashytuesday #beachcleanup #ocean #beach #litter #putitinitsplace #recycle #gooddeeds #surroundedbypenguinstrashytuesdaybeachcleanup
#whoswithme #stuffies #alittlehelpdoesapenguingood
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100 African Penguin Juveniles and counting!
Previously I’ve blogged on the De Hoop Nature Reserve. This is how it’s going so far.
Watch “African Penguins released at the De Hoop Nature Reserve” on YouTube
Happy World Penguin Day 2022!
We celebrated at the San Diego Zoo with the African Penguins last month on April 25th! What did you do to celebrate the penguins all around the world?

Ahhhhhh TooToo looks like hys getting attacked by an octopus arm!



We even went live on Facebook and Instagram! Find the videos on our Instagram! On Instagram Connorbalts4 and pico_space_adventures joined us! We all had a great visit! Thank you both for joining!



Special Explorer Zoo Trip!
Some of the SBP’s pengie’s, Amy, and I recently visited the San Diego Zoo to check out the new explorer area. What a great time! I got so distracted by all the neat new exhibits and attractions that we ran out of time to see the African Penguins. Can you believe that?! Anyways… Here’s some of what you could expect to see on your visit.













































You go penguin chicks!
PBS Nature brings to light how smart are the cutie little baby pengies!
I take for granted everything that penguin chicks have contend with and how intelligent the have to be to live. Sure they are altricial birds. But maybe one of the most capable and smartest altricial birds of all the species.
So I say, you go penguin chicks!
After all they need to have the inherent brain skills to not only navigate but also to apply spacial awareness, voice recognition, vocal projection, and much much more. Not to mention the other physical skills they need to acquire just as quickly.
So I say, you go penguin chicks!
Altricial- source for definition below from Oxford languages
al·tri·cial
/alˈtriSHəl/
ZOOLOGY
adjective
ZOOLOGY
- (of a young bird or other animal) hatched or born in an undeveloped state and requiring care and feeding by the parents.
- (of a particular species) having altricial young.
African Penguin Release at De Hoop Nature Reserve
This is so cool! Co Executive Penguin of Surrounded By Penguins shared this awesome article with me about the long term efforts of a few organizations working together to attempt to establish a new colony of African Penguins that will be protected and closer to their preferred food.
BirdLife South Africa, Cape Nature, along with SANCCOB and other organizations are attempting to establish a African Penguin colony in De Hoop Natural Reserve. This reserve is actually closer to the penguins preferred food. Drive thru anyone? Actually that’s part of what the problem is. They treat the area like a driver thru and don’t colonize. Although they have attempted to in the past…
Creating Penguin Colonies
In 2003 African Penguins did attempt to establish a colony in the area, but predation forced the penguins to abandon the attempt. This time around, they will be protected from predators! With a fence and other tools to help keep predation down. The organization’s are implementing very smart tactics to promote the likelihood that penguins will once again attempt to roost in the area too. In this video they are releasing juvenile penguins in hopes that they will return to roost in the area when they are of breeding age.
The organization’s even made decoy penguins and set up speakers to play penguins calls. All to entice penguins to attempt colonizing in the Reserve. The decoys look so real!
This is an ongoing long project but we at Surrounded By Penguins are excited and hopeful. I have a feeling that it’ll work. These carefully coordinated efforts will be worth it, I’m sure. Thank you to everyone involved with this project. I admire your hard work and patience. Keep up the good work. Hurry back penguins! Squawk!