Researching the Penguins

Forest and Bird, Issue 291, 1 February 1999, Page 43

Researching the Penguins

For almost three decades, Dr Chris Challies of Christchurch (left) has been carrying out research on whiteflippered penguins and devising techniques to assist their survival. This work, which has been entirely voluntary, has involved supervision of some 15 major projects and has resulted in what he says is ‘a good understanding of the bird’s biology and most of the information needed for its survival’? The projects have included large-scale chick-banding which over 28 years has seen 15,000 penguins banded at both Motunau Island and Banks Peninsula (including 500 at Flea Bay). ‘It’s been a team effort which could not have been undertaken on such a scale without the help of many volunteers, Dr Challies says. For 23 years banded penguins have been monitored for their population, biology and behaviour in an ‘artificial colony’ established in nest boxes in Harris Bay, at the Godley Head of Lyttelton Harbour. Predator trapping was begun in 1981 with a series of trials on a ridge that runs inland from Godley Head — the results form the basis of the trapping programmes elsewhere on Banks Peninsula. Transferring chicks to different colonies has also been tried over the past 12 years in an effort to establish techniques for enhancing declining populations. Chicks return to nest in the general area from which, as fledgings, they first set off to sea. Most of this study, and the allied conservation efforts, have been funded personally by those involved, and supplemented by small grants from non-governmental organizations including, on several occasions, Forest and Bird. "But we’d have got nowhere without the help of local farmers who’ve proved themselves to be keen conservationists, says Dr Challies in a tribute not only to Francis and Shireen but also to their Stony Bay neighbours Mark and Sonia Armstrong. They too have been carrying out predator control for several years near the penguin colony in their bay and are now contemplating building a predator-proof fence to further protect the colony.