THE EPONYMOUS CHINSTRAP PENGUIN
(Worth a double click!)
CHINSTRAP PENGUINS MARCH SLOWLY UP STEEP SLOPE
Chinstrap penguins nest on high slopes because the highest, windiest slopes are the first to clear of snow, which allows them to build their nests. Nests built lower down on the slope could be buried in a late season snowstorm. It was painful to watch the slow, awkward but determined march up to their nests high above on stubby legs ill-designed for the purpose. Every 15 feet or so they would flop belly down to rest and recover from the exertion before getting back up and continuing. What supernatural determination in the face of natural adversity! What a life lesson!!
Reminded me of an old Stan Roger’s song: “The Mary Ellen Carter“
RISE AGAIN!!, Rise Again!
No matter what you’ve lost
Be it a home, a love, a friend.
Like the Mary Ellen Carter,
RISE AGAIN!!
Thank you Mr. Chinstrap! ( As if I needed reminding. Both Stan and an old colleague of mine died on the same Air Canada flight in Cincinnati years ago. That was a double whammy that was hard to rise from!).
CHINSTRAP PENGUIN COLONY FAR ABOVE SEA LEVEL