Thomas Peschak's Image

A procession of macaroni penguins wove up the ridge of an old volcano crater towards their roosting terrace. The ground was strewn with feathers and the air reverberated with tremendous noise from the colony. With a special permit to board the island, Thomas had just a few hours with the penguins before a storm engulfed the coast and most of them headed out to sea.

Every summer some 12,000 pairs of macaroni penguins congregate on Marion Island to breed. The population has been in steady decline over the past 30 years because of climate change and increased competition for food due to the booming population of fur seals and commercial fishing. Introduced mice that prey on chicks are also a growing threat.