Last Wednesday night, Deb and I had an experience of a lifetime. Deb has loved penguins for years, and in fact I call her “my little” penguin sometimes. The name of the penguin we saw on Philip Island was in fact, the little penguin (Eudyptula minor).
The penguins come up the beach in great numbers every sunset, to return to their burrows for the night. Philip Island is located southeast of Melbourne, and one tip of the island is home to the “big” little penguin colony. This time of the year, they may also spend days out at sea, so you never know how many will come home on a given night. The numbers last Wednesday were in the hundreds but sometimes it’s over 1000.
We waited patiently as the sun set for the penguins to march of the beach. It seems like forever to wait but finally a cluster of them appeared, and then another, and then another. We were sitting right next to a penguin trail and suddenly beheld them close-up and personal.
No photos were allowed after sunset to protect the penguins, so all of the penguin photos here are courtesy of a gallery of the Philip Island Penguin Parade [https://penguins.org.au/photo-gallery/] , which nightly organize a wonderful experience for hundreds of visitors like us. My little penguin and I will always cherish the poignant penguin parade we saw!
