The Little Penguins of Low Head

It is just after 9 pm. David and I are huddled together at Low Head Coastal Reserve in Northern Tasmania, waiting for the sun to set and trying to gain some protection from the gale-force winds. We are here to see little penguins - sometimes called 'fairy penguins' or 'little blue penguins'. They are timid little creatures and won't come ashore until it is almost dark.

We could have come yesterday. Yesterday was a warm, balmy, windless summer's evening. We could have come tomorrow. Tomorrow will be a warm, balmy, windless summer's evening. We have chosen tonight, for no good reason I can think of. Tonight is cold, very cold, and the wind is whipping through our inadequate summer jackets, making us wonder whether this was a good idea at all.

At least, we console ourselves, the moonlight will make it easier to see the penguins. It is the night of a super moon - the last super moon for 2016. While we wait for the penguins to appear, our guide gives a short explanatory talk. It turns out little penguins don't like full moons. The shadows cast by bright moonlight make them nervous. Tonight they won't hang around on the beach but instead seek the shelter of their burrows as quickly as they can.

Before this information has time to sink in we see our first group of penguins about 50 metres away. There are about 12 of them on the beach at the edge of the water.  Other groups must be in the surf plucking up the courage to dash ashore but in the fading light we can't see them until they reach land. Then we see another group, closer but still hard to see, huddled next to an outcrop of rocks.

The only way to see the Low Head penguins is on a guided tour. Although you can wander through the reserve during the day, it is closed to the general public for several hours before and after sunset each night. There are about 60 people here tonight and we have been separated into groups of about 14 - each with their own guide. There are no lights on the beach but each guide has a couple of wide beam torches. Two of the groups are down on the beach right next to the penguins.

Chicks standing outside their burrows in search of mum and dad.

I am disappointed that David and I are in the only group not allowed on the beach. We are seated on rows of benches too far from the action to be able to see much at all. Our guide is explaining that the penguins have stopped by the edge of the water to preen themselves before continuing across the beach and through the sand dunes to their burrows. It is breeding season and the penguin chicks are waiting in the burrows for their parents to arrive home and feed them. I'm only half listening - mostly I am trying to peer through the gloom at the distant birds. As if our guide has read my mind, we are told to follow her into the sand dunes behind us.

'Stay on the path,' she warns. 'Don't worry you'll get a great penguin experience.'

We stake out one of the routes the birds follow through the dunes, lining up on either side of the path like a guard of honour. It is not long before a small group comes waddling up and stops a couple of metres from us. They spend a few moments looking around, as if discussing which way to go, then hurry past only centimetres from our shoes. We turn and follow as some continue on while others diverge and disappear into the bushes. The chicks haven't eaten since yesterday and many venture out of the safety of the burrows looking for their dinner. They are covered in a downy fur and won't go to sea until they are old enough to hunt on their own.  There is quite a racket going on with chicks and parents all calling to each other - apparently the adults recognize their offspring by its cries. The chicks on the other hand, are completely non-discriminatory and will harass any adult they can find for food.

We follow several groups of penguins, sometimes lining up to let them walk past us and sometimes stopping to watch and photograph them. We spend quite a while observing one particular pair hoping to witness the adult feeding its chick. Unfortunately mum (or dad) doesn't co-operate and eventually we move on. There is no shortage of action though - the sand dunes are seething with little bundles of cuteness in dark blue and white tuxedos all intent on reaching home after a hard day at sea. Then after 45 minutes or so it is all over. There are a few stragglers still waddling the path but most of the birds have disappeared into the bushes.

You can see the baby in its burrow waiting for mum and dad. This burrow was constructed by local school children. There were quite a few of these at Low Head and the penguins seemed happy to use them.

A few little penguin facts: - 

• Little penguins are on average 30 cms (12 inches) tall and weigh about 1 kg (2 lbs). They are the smallest of all penguin species. 

• Little penguin colonies are found only in southern Australia and New Zealand.

• Little penguins are also known as 'little blue penguins' or 'fairy penguins'. They are the only species of penguin which is dark blue and white rather than black and white.

• The black (or dark blue) and white colour of penguins is camouflage. When they are at sea their white bellies camouflage them against the sky from predators below while their dark backs do the same against the sea from predators above them.

• Little penguins spend most of their lives at sea, always returning to the same colony they were born in to breed and moult.

• A group of penguins at sea is called a 'raft'. On land it is called a 'waddle'.

I thought I would sneak in a photo of the super moon just because I'm pretty pleased with the way it came out.

My tips for doing the tour: -

• Dress in warm clothes and bring a jacket. Low Head is exposed to the wind whipping in from Bass Strait and can get cold, even in summer.

• Don't bother bringing a torch (flashlight). You won't be allowed to use it, however the guides have torches and do a reasonably good job of lighting up the penguins so you can see them.

• Set your camera for night shots without a flash. Flash photography upsets the penguins and is not allowed.

• Although the Low Head penguin tours run year round, penguins come ashore in greater numbers during breeding season between November and February. 

• Drive very carefully when you leave the tour. Some of the penguins cross the road each night to reach their burrows.

The beach at Low Head during the day.

Other places to see penguins in Australia:-

• Phillip Island, Victoria has the most widely known colony of little penguins in Australia. The penguins come ashore each night to crowds of visitors. Despite being a big commercial operation it is a great place to see little penguins.

• King Island is half way between Victoria and Tasmania and a stunning place to visit if you want to get away from the more well-known tourist trails. The far side of the island at Grassy Harbour has the best penguin viewing I have ever seen. When David and I went there about ten years ago it was just us and hundreds of penguins. King Island is remote, the only way to get there is by air, so I doubt things have changed much in the intervening years.

• Bruny Island is an easy day trip from Hobart in Tasmania. Car ferries leave every half hour in summer from Kettering, about half an hour south of Hobart. The ferry takes about 15 minutes. There is a penguin viewing area at a place called The Neck - you can't miss it. However since the penguins arrive after the last ferry back to the mainland you have to stay overnight to see them. You can read about Bruny Island on my blog post - The White Wallabies of Bruny Island.

• Other penguin viewing areas in Tasmania include - Bicheno, Burnie, Stanley, Penguin (of course) and Lillico.

• Penguin Island, Western Australia is 45 minutes south of Perth and a 5 minute ferry ride. I haven't been there yet but a fellow blogger has recommended it to me.

• Sydney and Melbourne both have small penguin colonies. The location of the colony at Manly in Sydney was once a well-guarded secret in order to try to protect the very small number of penguins which breed there. Although word has got out it is still hard to get to the colony unless you are a kayaker or own a boat. Melbourne on the other hand has a very accessible small colony which breeds in the rocks at the St Kilda Pier Breakwater.

• Kangaroo Island is a great destination, but not for penguin viewing.  I mention it here because there is a lot of out of date advice on the Internet recommending penguin tours there. I am not sure if you can still do penguin tours on the island but even if you can the colony has been decimated in recent years by fur seals. Read my blog post on Kangaroo Island.

Have you seen little penguins in Australia or New Zealand? What was it like and where was it?

Other blog posts from our two weeks in Tasmania: -

• The White Wallabies of Bruny Island
• Where to Look for Platypus in Tasmania

• Port Arthur: A World Heritage Convict Site
• The Heritage Buildings of Launceston
• Cycling in Hobart

Where to see wildlife in Australia:- 

• The 17 best places to see Australian wildlife.

Note: David and I paid the full cost of the Penguin Tour ourselves. Neither the tour organiser nor our guide was aware that I write a travel blog.

If you would like to follow our travels, enter your email address in the 'Never miss a post: Follow by email' box in the right hand side bar just below my profile picture. On a mobile device scroll to the bottom of the page past the comments section and click on 'web version' first.