This sponsored box has a brand new family in it with neither parent having bred before. Fortunately only one of their two eggs is expected to hatch - much better to ease into parenthood with just the one chick rather than two for this young couple. We will of course keep a close eye on them to see how they are getting.

No change for this pair as well. This box was sponsored many years ago now and the writing has not faded, so we will be reporting on this pair again this season. It is the same pair as last year and they had a couple of very photogenic chicks. We are expecting both eggs to hatch again this year - any day now!

This sponsored box is used again this season with the same pair moving back in. They have a couple of eggs that we are expecting to hatch but they were one of the last pairs to lay so the chicks are not due until about mid November. Welcome back, you two!

This yellow-eyed penguin lady is back also with the mate from last season but they decided to change house. Their new house has also recently been sponsored - coming soon! It's lovely to see them both back!

Now here is a mercurial yellow-eyed penguin lady. She is five years old and is on mate number 3 this season. This one may be a keeper: he was hatched in 2004 and that makes him 16 years old. He has bred many times in the past, although not recently as his mate ran off with a neighbour. He evidently was able to woo Bequette and they now have a couple of fertile eggs due in early November.

This 5-year old female yellow-eyed penguin is back with her old mate - new house though. They have a couple of fertile eggs that are due to hatch in the first week of November. She is extra-special because was sponsored as a chick and has now been breeding for three years. There are never guarantees with chick sponsorships because many chicks don't make it back but sometimes a sponsor gets lucky and gets to follow the full life of one of these long-lived penguins.
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Hatching has started and we have about a dozen tiny tots in our colonies. They are way too small to take any photos to share, and we are now super busy monitoring them closely to see if they have Diphtheria. All fingers and toes crossed, the penguins have started breeding early and that's usually a sign for a good year.

This is doubly-loved yellow-eyed penguin pair with both adults sponsored. They have moved house - a little downhill, but closer to the landing site and they have a couple of beautiful eggs. Incidentally, Goldenglimmer who lives down the hill from them, is their chick from two years ago, so she has moved into mum and dad's neighbourhood!

This experienced male yellow-eyed penguin had a sit out last season because unfortunately he wife from the previous season had died - presumably of Malaria. He attracted an older female from down the hill and they now have a couple of beautiful eggs. She was a little unlucky in that it was her chick that was killed by a predator last summer. Hopefully all goes well this season: all fingers and toes crossed!

This young yellow-eyed penguin female who was adopted as a juvenile has also chosen a young, inexperienced mate who had built a nest under a flax bush. If you ever wondered what a natural nest looks like, well here is a beautiful example. They are sheltered and private so there is no need for us to improve on it. They have a couple of beautiful eggs and soon we will find out whether they are fertile after we candle them.

Can you spot her? Not every pair of yellow-eyed penguins is sensible and nests in a pre-made house....this young couple - literally - disappeared into the bushes and built a nest there. We were not that impressed but the young female seemed to have been and she laid the young male a couple of eggs. How they choose a mate we don't know and it is puzzling: right next door is an older, much more experienced male with a beautiful big house! We decided that this young pair needed a proper roof and gave them a house - very carefully and they seem ok with it - update soon!