Northern Rockhopper Penguins on Tristan da Cunha

Rockhopper Watch

Report and photos from Shirley Squibb

Shirley's photos taken on
4th January 2019 from
Hottentot Beach show
Northern Rockhopper Penguins:

Above: on cliff ledges;

Right: on the beach.

Rockhoppers are likely to be seen
all over Tristan (including within the village)
when they come ashore to moult
at this time of year.

Shirley Squibb's photos
taken on 16th December 2018
show a single
Northern Rockhopper Penguin
on the black volcanic sand
at Runaway Beach,
situated below
the Patches Plain.

Rockhoppers have now
finished their breeding cycle,
with chicks fledged and out feeding at sea.Adults return to land to moult
(they lose buouyancy when moulting
so can't swim), starting with
immature adults like this example.Tristan has several penguin rookeries
around the east and south-east coasts,
containing an estimated 10,000 pairs in 2007.
Moulting adults can be found
anywhere, and are often seen
on beaches and inland
on the Settlement Plain,
sometimes within the village.