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VICTOR HARBOR VIEW CLUB 8TH BIRTHDAY “Penguins on Parade” On the 19th July Victor Harbor VIEW Club celebrated their 8th Birthday. It was a delightful day. The tables had little knitted penguins on them, shells, black or white balloons, black and white serviettes and we were all given a penguin shaped biscuit in cellophane. The cake showed penguins on an ice flow. Themed birthday cakes certainly help to set the scene. Some of the members dressed in black and white and had “Penguin hats” while many of the guests dressed in black and white. There was a good representation from Gawler and as usual they collected many of the raffle prizes. It was interesting to note that the President, Doris Daniels is on the committee with her daughter, Margaret Watkins, who is the Program Officer The speaker was Annalise Wiebkin from the Interpreter Centre, who spoke on the penguins found on Granite Island and around the world. It was sad to hear that the penguins on the island are dwindling in numbers and this is partly due to seals that eat them and they get harassed by dogs. Annalise was a very knowledgeable and interesting speaker and kept everyone’s attention. Before the speaker spoke we had a quiz sheet about penguins and their habitat. Little “fairy” or “blue” penguins (as they are called in New Zealand) are both the same. The penguins evolved from flying birds 35-42 million years ago and are related to the albatross, frigate birds and the loons. They have waxy glands and tiny feathers which “water proof” them. They also have strong skeletons and solid bones so they do not float. There are 17 species of penguins and are the most success-ful bird in the southern oceans. Most penguins return to their own birth area for breeding for 7 to 25 years. Their predators are fur seals, snakes, sharks, black rats, water rats, ferrets, skua sea eagles. On Granite Island they have been putting out artificial nesting boxes which the penguins love. They also love to eat anchovies here. Two weeks ago a Fiordland penguin from New Zealand arrived on the beach in Australia but unfortunately it eventually died. |
