Like so many inhabitants of the city of Melbourne in January, summer has taken a leave of absence this week and gone on holiday. Happily we took advantage of the last of the nice weather Monday evening to head to the St. Kilda Pier for the sunset and viewing of the parent penguins coming back into shore to feed their young. The pier proved to be a popular spot that night, with a ratio of about fifty people to one penguin. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves in spite of the crowds, however, and even appreciated the antics of the protected Rakali (water rats) who did their best to keep us entertained while we waited for the penguins. They reminded me of otters with their playful acrobatics on the rocks and in the water.
Finally, we spotted a parent swimming into shore. Going to see the penguins at St. Kilda offers several advantages over the official site on Phillip Island. Aside from paying for parking, it is free. You are permitted to bring flashlights, and even use the flash on cameras, provided they are covered with red cello wrap. Best of all, it saves four hours of driving to and from Melbourne.
The parent above was bending down and feeding her chick, much to the delight of the humans present. Beth fought the crowds to get a picture, but I did not. We also had the pleasure of a full moon rising over the city, a splendid ending to the picture perfect evening.
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