How Sweet the Little Blue Penguin

Greetings from Melbourne,

Melbourne is a beautiful city. Mixture of old and new buildings. Lots of green space (the botanical garden is amazing!). It's a great place to wander around.

However, let's talk penguins.

Every night after the sun sets, the little blue penguins climb out of the Tasmin Sea and head back to their burroughs to rest, mate, or just hang with their neighbors. Last night I watched several groups of them perform this nightly ritual. They assemble in the surf, and when they have a sufficient critical mass, they walk out of the sea, over the sand, pass the on-lookers, and into the grass. It takes them several attempts to make this crossing as they are paranoid about birds swooping down to grab them as they leave the water. (they are only 8 to 12 inches tall!) And they get scared at the slightest movements. When scared, they turn and run back into the surf. But eventually they make it across. It's a wonderful to watch them frantically waddle their way to safety.

Once they arrive in the grassy area, you can watch them waddle to their burroughs. They are noisey buggers! And there are some squabbles along the way. But they are TOO CUTE in their white and blueness. It was worth braving the freezing winds off the Tasman Sea to watch them.

And I finally saw the South Cross. It was a clear night with a million stars. Had an Aussie point out the South Cross Constellation. Doesn't look like much of a cross to me.

cheers,
Stacey