Oh, the glamour

This picture doesn't do justice to just how WET it was this morning at Edinburgh Zoo. I, and a bunch of other photographers was there for a photocall of the 'penguin creche'. More than fifty Gentoo penguins born at the zoo this spring have moved into a smaller outdoor enclosure to learn the penguin basics - how to swim and how to feed.

In the Press Release, Colin Oulton, Bird Team Leader at Edinburgh Zoo, says,
?The crèche phase is something that occurs naturally in the wild, with chicks no longer remaining at the nest, but staying in the vicinity. We try to recreate this situation at Edinburgh Zoo?s penguin enclosure, which also allows the parents time to rest and rebuild their strength during their annual moult, which can be stressful for penguins.
The chicks have settled well into the penguin crèche. It?s been a delight to see them bobbing around in the water and floating on their stomachs. The small shallow pool in the crèche is perfect place for the penguin chicks to take their first swim. They figure out pretty quickly how to take fish from the keepers and are now no longer relying on regurgitated food from mum and dad.
The penguin chicks are coming along fantastically and 15 of the youngsters have already ?graduated? and moved back into the main enclosure. The remainder will rejoin the rest of the colony in the main enclosure between now and September, although some may find new homes all over the world.?

What with the rain, the wire enclosure and the fact that the penguins had only recently been fed and therefore weren't that interested in the fish offered by the keeper not the easiest of shoots and not confident I got anything truly print-worthy. (A bit of poor communication between the publicity person and the people that look after the penguins perhaps. The photocall was at 11:30 - maybe it should have been earlier when they were getting fed anyway?)

However, on the way there, picked up a copy of the Metro on the bus and saw one of my images of the Dances For Wolves cast. Not the one I blipped. And still not sure how much I should get for it, but surely better than nothing!