Chloe and the Little Penguin Count
A story about citizen science, wildlife and respecting animals from a distance.
Chloe was on holiday with her family at a seaside town on the southern coast. The advertisement said, “Watch little penguins waddle ashore each evening.” She had never seen a wild penguin. “We have to go,” she told her parents.
At sunset, they joined a crowd on a wooden viewing platform above the beach. A ranger named Ms Dalton gave a short talk. “These little penguins are the smallest in the world,” she said. “They spend the day fishing at sea, and come ashore at dusk. We count them every night.”
“Why count them?” asked Chloe. “Because numbers tell us whether the colony is healthy,” said Ms Dalton. “If the count drops, we know something is wrong. If it grows, we can celebrate.” She asked for a volunteer to help with the tally. Chloe’s hand shot up.
She was given a clicker, and a seat at the edge of the platform. “We do not use flash photography,” said Ms Dalton. “It can hurt the penguins’ eyes. And we stay on the boardwalk, so we do not disturb their burrows.” Chloe nodded, and held her clicker.
At twilight, small shapes appeared in the shallows. They looked like tiny blue-grey bowling pins, riding the waves. They tumbled onto the sand, shook out their feathers, and waddled up the beach in little groups. Chloe clicked, and clicked, and clicked.
By the end of the hour, her thumb was sore. She had counted two hundred and eleven penguins. They paraded past the platform, a few tripping on the stones, all chattering in squeaky, honking voices. She had never smiled so much.
Ms Dalton wrote down Chloe’s number. “That helps us,” she said. “It is part of a record that goes back forty years.” Chloe felt a swell of pride. She was part of a science project, even if only for one evening.
Back at the holiday house, she drew a picture of a penguin in her notebook. At the bottom, she wrote, “211.” When she got home, she told her class about it, and asked whether they could count the birds in the school playground, too.
The next week, they started a bird tally in the garden, noting every species they saw. Chloe led it. “We are citizen scientists,” she said proudly.
✨ Key Takeaways
- Counting and recording help scientists protect wildlife.
- We watch animals from a distance and do not disturb their homes.
- Anyone can be a scientist by observing carefully.
💬 Questions for Discussion & Reflection
- Why do rangers count the penguins each night?
- What rules did Ms Dalton give the watchers?
- What could you count or record in your own neighbourhood?
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