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This is a striking issue in our bird series by local artist Ian Strange.
Captain Edmund Fanning of Stonington, Connecticut writing of a sealing expedition to the Falkland Islands in 1797 made a reference to this species of penguin, calling it "John Penguin" or "Jonny Penguins". From this description it is believed sealers and whalers of the period devised the name Jonny Rook, a bird of prey known today as Striated Caracara, a species commonly seen scavenging around the colonies of Gentoo penguins. Whalers and sealers collected penguin eggs to supplement their diet. Coated in seal or whale oil, the eggs could be stored for periods of time. Early settlers followed the tradition of collecting and even today the eggs of the Gentoo penguin are still prized as a food by some Islanders. However the tradition is declining, with only comparatively small numbers now being collected under license. Gentoo penguins are found circumpolar in the Subantarctic. In the Falkland Islands the species is resident all year round and is fairly widely distributed. It is the second largest of those species of penguin found in the Falkland Islands, standing some 22 - 23 inches. The majority of breeding sites are situated on low, open coastal heath or grassland. These sites may be hundreds of meters inland where the penguins form compact breeding groups. Individual breeding groups may contain 100 to 600 pairs with colonies collectively forming concentrations of several thousand birds. Some populations use the same sites annually, while others may progress inland selecting new nesting areas. There are examples in the Falkland Islands where populations have moved some 5 kilometers inland from their coastal sites. This species of penguin commonly prefers low lying sandy beaches on which to make landings. The 43p value design, illustrates a group of birds, typically with outstretched flippers, filing inland to their colonies. Breeding commences with the establishment of colony groups and nest sites in late September. The clutch of two eggs is laid in mid to late October. The nest can be a simple scrape, or as shown in the 37p value, formed from pieces of peat, clay and pebbles. In situations where vegetation such as Diddle-dee shrub is available, the birds may build nests of considerable proportions from the woody stems of this plant. The incubation period is 33 to 34 days. Young birds grow quickly, being fed a diet of marine creatures. Lobster Krill, often evident by the reddish excreta seen about the colonies, forms a major componant of the feed. Other important foods are squid and small schooling fishes. In the 33p value design a young bird is fed by a parent bird, a process know as regurgitation. By early January the young birds, more active and in less danger from predators, tend to wander from the immediate area of their nest and group with other young. At this stage both parent birds will often leave the young most days to seek food. The 10p value depicts young at the advanced stage growth watching for the return of adults with feed. The young are fully moulted by late January. During late February to early March, the young penguins will enter the sea for the first time and feed independently of the parent birds. |
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Technical Details
Designer - Ian Strange Printer - The House of Questa Process - Lithography Stamp Size - 30.56 x38mm Pane - 50 (2 x 25) Perforation - 14 per 2cm Watermark - Crown Agents Values - 10p, 33p, 37p, 43p |