Did you give them pancakes with extra syrup?
Posted on 01/05/2013 3:06:03 PM PST by RS_Rider
My wife and I were fortunate to have travelled to Antarctica recently. During the trip I had the opportunity to spend time amidst enormous breeding colonies of penguins. Standing on the beach one day, surrounded by thousands of these remarkable birds, I was fascinated by their behavior.
Penguins are monogamous. While colonies can be the size of small cities, each penguin couple raises their own brood. Each parent shares responsibility for guarding their nest and providing food for the chicks. Penguins are constantly busy. They attend to the structure of their nest, go out to sea to feed, and fend off predator birds that try to steal eggs or attack chicks. As a result, Penguins manage to thrive in a very harsh environment. However, this comes at great risk. Only half of each generation survives to adulthood. Every time a parent goes out to sea they are subject to the appetites of leopard seals and killer whales. Should that parent fail to return, the remaining parent must decide whether to abandon its nest or risk starving to death. After seeing penguins in their natural state, I had a growing respect for them. They are amongst the most stoic, disciplined, productive creatures I have ever seen. It was clear to me –Penguins are Republicans!
(Excerpt) Read more at glenmeakem.com ...
This trait is very common among birds.
I prefer the taste of free range penguins myself. “Pen-gu-ins is practically chickens.” Or so I’m told.
Yes, it is....remarkably so. We live in a smallish home with a small but beautiful, terraced back yard. It’s like living in a “bowl”, in a way. The top of the back fence is a good 10-15 feet above your head when you walk out onto the deck. The yard is heavily landscaped and is a virtual jungle in the spring & summer....every color known to man back here. Therefore, we attract a LOT of birds (doesn’t hurt that we have bird feeders all over the place). Cardinals are the ones that come to mind instantly....a mating pair is ALWAYS near each other, and when they have a brood of chicks, they both watch over them very, very closely. Damned cute, and damned impressive.
“Penguins are monogamous”
Not so much among EBT crowd.
Did you give them pancakes with extra syrup?
Greek Penguin for the Holidays Recipe:
Select a penguin that is large enough to feed your dinner group. We prefer free range penguins.
Obviously, make sure it’s dead. Penguins are tougher than they appear. Club it like you are harvesting a baby seal.
Remove all the feathers and clean the carcass.
Rinse with salt water.
Cut open and remove the bones.
Stuff penguin with grape leaves, curry, raisins, and apple slices.
For an extra festive touch, baste with 18 year old Scotch.
Place in greased pan and roast at 330 degrees for two hours, or until a fork comes out clean.
Garnish penguin with honey glaze.
Serve family-style with pita bread and green beans.
Much to the chagrin of many parrot owners, a bird will bond with one human and will defend their 'mate' against anyone else who attempts to come near.
We've owned a few cockatiels. (never again)
One has bonded with my wife. He will allow her to touch him anywhere, but if anyone else attempts to go near him, he will attempt to bite them. Thankfully, his bite is relatively gentle and does not draw blood. Doubly-thankful is that he has not regurgitated food to share with his 'mate' as is common practice among birds attempting to court a mate. (Yuck...)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.