PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - It was bittersweet to say farewell to Rocky, the rare northern rockhopper penguin that recently spent 26 days in Robberg Nature Reserve.
When Rocky left as a hip teenager in a new outfit – his time on Robberg saw him successfully moult into new plumage – he was dressed up to tackle his future in the ocean.
Rocky was last captured on a trail camera set up by Robberg's senior marine ranger, Chanel Hauvette, on 28 January.
"It was a very bittersweet ending, especially as I missed its brief visit to the cave on the morning of the 27th by only 45 minutes," said Hauvette.
"But I am exceptionally happy about the outcome and that [Rocky] ended up having four days alone to prepare for [his] departure." Lessons learned from Rocky's visit as a vagrant are that people can create disturbance and contribute significantly towards the stress of such birds.
"Hikers, birders and the general public should always keep this in mind when in nature. Another lesson learnt here is that in situ treatment is a very viable option for vagrant species, so as to avoid them entering a rehabilitation or veterinary facility (which in turn hampers their chances of into the wild again)," said Hauvette.
The rockhopper stayed for a total of 26 days to complete its moult at Robberg Nature Reserve.
His last days at Robberg
"By day 24, the trail camera's photos showed that the penguin was going out to sea to feed and it returned to its cave twice, on the mornings of the 25th and 26th day, shortly before it went back out to sea and did not return again," Hauvette explained. The area was monitored for another week but Rocky did not return.
The last time the penguin was captured on camera, on the morning of 28 January, Hauvette said that its plumage was looking fantastic.
"Apart from a few bare patches on the tips of its flippers where new feathers were still pushing out and a random few old feathers still on the back right of its neck, [Rocky] had successfully completed a full moult and [his] feathers looked beautiful.
"The fact that the penguin had gone to sea and returned twice over the two days, was a great sign that the bird was fully preparing its waterproofing before leaving Robberg for good, as this meant that it was foraging and then returning to shore to preen, which encourages waterproofing and conditioning of the feathers."
A successful endeavour
CapeNature staff consider the approach taken highly successful and believe that it has provided a case study of exactly how viable in-situ treatment of a moulting vagrant penguin like this can be, if done correctly.
Rocky remained very calm in the environment it was in throughout its moult. It did not show any signs of stress, it avoided predators and moulted within the anticipated time.
Blood samples were taken on the bird's arrival, as well as a week before its departure. The blood smears were analysed to ensure that it was healthy and did not contract any illnesses or diseases while on Robberg.
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