3.7 Million Penguins and Counting

Oceanites is counting penguins. Why that matters to all of us.

You may know penguins as the world’s most adorable and entertaining birds, but they’re much more than that. Penguins are frontline sentinels that act as key indicators of climate change and the health of the Antarctic ecosystem.

For 32 years, through more than 2,100 site visits at over 260 Antarctic locations, global nonprofit Oceanites has been tracking penguin populations on the Antarctic Peninsula. Their small teams employ boots-on-the-ground penguin counting as well as drone and satellite imagery, to collect, analyze and make vital penguin conservation data freely available to everyone, worldwide.

Recently, we sat down with Grant Humphries, Director of Science, and Kate Robb, tireless penguin-counter and Executive Director at the Marine Mammal Foundation, Australia, to hear more about this incredibly devoted and single-minded organization, and the unique mission they’re on.

EXPLORERS MAGAZINE: 32 years counting 3.7 million penguins. That’s a lot of counting. What keeps the fire burning bright?

GRANT HUMPHRIES: The fact that most of our team work on a volunteer basis says a lot about how important we all think this work is, and how much we love what we do. Everyone is incredibly dedicated and passionate about Antarctic conservation, and knowing that the data we collect is vital for environmental decision making keeps us all alive and energetic about the work we’re doing.

KATE ROBB: I came across Oceanites in 2018, and started following the work they do. When Oceanites began to use UAVs (drones) as a tool for counting penguins, as a drone pilot and a career scientist, I expressed my strong interest in joining their team. I believe I’m representative of the passion of all 100+ penguin counters we’ve had over 33 years, people wanting to contribute and make a difference.

EM: Why the focus on penguins, specifically?

GH: Penguins are true sentinels of change because of where they sit in the Antarctic food web. “Canaries in the coal mine” is the expression often used. Changes in their numbers and movement can be a signal of change in the overall ecosystem. Penguins are easy to count because of their breeding biology, and they are relatively accessible compared to other species.

EM: Any changes you’ve been seeing in penguin populations?

GH: We’ve been seeing some pretty obvious changes in Gentoo populations – the “Gentoofication” of the Peninsula, we like to say. We’ve seen new Gentoo populations appear on islands and just explode. Meanwhile, Chinstrap penguin populations are generally in decline in most places with a few exceptions, and Adelie penguin populations are a mixed bag with some colonies having nearly disappeared, while others are stable and even increasing.

KR: Gentoos in particular appear to be adapting better than most to changes in the environment. They appear to be opportunistic colonizers and a pioneering species. For example, Gentoo penguins are more likely to re-lay if they lose their first clutch of eggs, they have a less specialized diet, and their reproductive age is approximately at two years.

EM: Can you talk about some of the challenges you’ve faced, and maybe how your research has evolved?

GH: Initially, the scientific community were skeptical of our approach – using ships of opportunity (expedition ships) to count penguins. But it soon became clear that this was an incredibly valuable approach, one that has since been emulated by other organizations.

KR: By being a Guest Scientist onboard Expedition ships, we can not only visit the same colonies over the years but, critically, multiple times across a single season, rather than getting just one snapshot.

GH: New technologies, specifically drones, have also increased our ability to get to more colonies than in the past, and that’s made a huge difference in our ability to collect data.

KR: We like to joke that penguins choose the most inaccessible locations to nest, many of which are too dangerous for us mere humans to access – which was previously a major challenge. However, the incorporation of drones into our survey methods has opened up the ability to count these previously inaccessible colonies. I’ll also add that the on-ship support of the Captains and Expedition Leaders has been invaluable.

EM: And all this hard-earned data you collect, where does it go? How is it being used?

GH: Our data has been used in over 100 peer-reviewed papers and are referenced regularly at the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) and the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM). These data also are used currently for Marine Protected Area (MPA) development and the krill fisheries management approach being developed.

Counting penguins on the Antarctic Peninsula

EM: What is it about Antarctica? So much climate research seems to be focused there.

GH: We need to understand Antarctica, if we’re going to work towards protecting the planet. It’s as simple as that.

KR: Antarctica is crucial in the global climate change picture, as it stores most of the earth’s freshwater, regulates climate by reflecting sunlight, and importantly drives the ocean current that regulates world temperatures. As a result, small changes in Antarctica can have a massive impact globally.

EM: Earlier, you spoke about the importance of partnerships. How do you choose who to partner with?

GH: We currently travel with 5 operational partners, with compatibility being a big factor. For example, we have been working with Polar Latitudes Expeditions since just after COVID and have had a lot of incredibly successful trips with them, due to their smaller vessels which give us greater access, and their expedition team members, who we’ve known for a long time, and who are familiar with us and our practices.

EM: And do you involve the guests on these ships? How does that dynamic work?

KR: I find one of the best things about working on expedition ships is the guest interactions. The majority of visitors are initially there to see whales, seals, penguins, and icebergs, but having science on board, they come away with so much more – the desire to protect and conserve this amazing place, and all that rely on it.

On the ships we regularly give presentations and recaps, sharing what we are finding in the field, personal accounts of what it is like to be in the colonies, and telling stories and funny anecdotes about penguins that also ‘want to do science’ with us. With the use of drones, we can stitch together the imagery in real-time, and I have many guests helping me count the penguins on the laptop during their down time onboard.

GH: This year we are launching a new version of our app (penguinApp) that will give expedition guides the ability to work with passengers to make observations at the penguin colonies they visit around phenology of the birds. This new citizen science tool will allow guests to give back to Antarctica, and work with us in a small but meaningful way.

EM: Any truly amazing moments stand out in your memory, after all these years and all those penguins?

GH: One particular moment immediately comes to mind: a few years ago, we saw not one, but two separate melanistic (all black) gentoo penguin chicks. It’s a very rare mutation (some say just 1 in 250 million penguins!) that had only been documented just two times previously. The following season, an “adult” melanistic gentoo was seen at Neko Harbour, and I suspect it was one of those same chicks.

EM: Very cool. On a personal level, what is it about this research that you love the most?

KR: I am contributing to the bigger, long-term picture and our understanding of Antarctica. As a scientist, I get pleasure in knowing the data can be utilized by anyone and has resulted in over 100 peer-reviewed scientific papers. One of the best experiences was also sharing a season with my daughter, Hayley, a marine biologist herself who joined Oceanites the year prior to me. Being a mother-daughter team on the ice, flying drones, and being in the colonies hand-counting was such an incredible core-life memory and experience.

And there’s the personal joy I get just being in amongst the penguins in these remote locations, watching the comedic interactions of pebble stealing, internal squabbles, adult-sized chick harassing and running after any parent in the hope they get some dinner, gives me so much joy.

GH: For me personally, it all begins that moment when I get dropped off at a remote colony far away from people, and I feel like I have the whole continent to myself.

EM: How can people follow the progress of Oceanites, and maybe pitch in?

GH: Everything we do ends up on our website, www.oceanites.org. You can even adopt a penguin colony while you’re there! And follow us on social media.

EM: Thank you for all the great work you’re doing. And good luck going into your 33rd year! Will the counting ever end?

GH: I hope to count penguins personally until I can’t physically do it anymore and then pass the clicker on to the next person.

KR: Same same. I hope to keep counting penguins until my body gives up on me doing it.