These adorable fluffy penguins certainly weren’t camera shy as they mobbed the photography equipment, wanting to be in the spotlight.
Derek Pettersson captured the cute moments when the inquisitive offspring prodded, peeped, and pulled everything from cameras to bags, tripods, and even tourists.
The photographs were taken in the Falkland Islands, where there are approximately 1,500 breeding adult king penguins and up to 700 chicks raised each year.
Grandpa Derek laughed as the young birds crowded around their ‘new gadgets and tools’ and compared the chicks to ‘children seeing a camera for the first time.’
The king penguins have a brown-grey wool layer that they shed until they are two years old, and then their monochrome yellow feathers replace the old layer.
Derek, who runs Volunteer House, said: “At this time of the season, the chicks are hungry and very curious. They tend to investigate lots of things that occur, so they become especially inquisitive when volunteers come into contact with them.”
“They have no natural predators on land in this area.
People are asked to stay back, but the chicks will come right up to investigate if they sit down.
“Most of the photographers were using huge lenses on their cameras but had to switch to smaller ones.”
“Once they had cleared out the cases and tripods, chicks came all around them.
“They remind me of excited young children seeing a camera for the first time.”
“As long as you respect the wildlife, Volunteer Point is an excellent location to photograph king penguins.”
