This is a photo of Sticky Beak, one of the cute ‘fairy’ penguins residing at Manly Wharf in Sydney. The book has been a long time in the writing, with information coming in from the many agencies involved in the care of this endangered colony including Mel Tyas of NPWS, who commissioned the book; staff from Taronga Zoo and the hospital; the Manly Environment Centre, and the penguin wardens who do such a mighty job protecting these little creatures when they’re in residence. In particular I must pay tribute to Angelika Treichler who knows the penguins so well and whose wonderful anecdotes about them have been quoted almost verbatim in my book. This will be such a valuable resource for anyone involved in ‘Project Penguin’, but will also be of interest to all students as it’s packed full of information about fairy penguins, and how to protect them. The story is narrated by two students who are involved in Project Penguin and who are also part-time penguin wardens, so you’ll see everything through their eyes – including the story of how Mr Sticky Beak went out clubbing one night at a local Spanish restaurant! I’m looking forward to the launch on Friday at Sea Life aquarium in Manly, and I hope those of you who order the book (available through NPWS) will enjoy the read! It’s a beautiful production with heaps of wonderful photographs taken by David Jenkins.
