Two fairy penguins hugging and watching Melbourne lights becomes an award-winning photo

A picture of fairy penguins clicked by a Melbourne-based photographer became one of the winning photos of 2020 in the prestigious Ocean Photography awards. It won in the Community choice award 2020 category.

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This picture looks surreal and features a pair of fairy penguins hugging each other while gazing at the magical Melbourne lights. As per the sources of NewScientists, Tobias Bumgaertner clicked this photograph nearly a year ago. He released this picture in March 2020. He shared this picture on his Instagram account with the caption, "It was really hard to get a shot, but I got lucky during one beautiful moment."

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Where did Tobias click this picture?

Tobias Baumgartner released this picture to reflect upon the isolation caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. NewScientists reported that he clicked this picture in the St Kilda Pier, which is near the coastal area of Melbourne. This place is a colony of nearly 14000 fairy penguins.

The truth behind the picture

As magical it seems, the truth behind this picture is heart-wrenching. Tobias Bumgaertener shared the above Instagram post and offered a clear explanation behind this photograph. As per a report of BBC News, these two penguins were comforting each other.

The news quoted the photographer saying that he was approached by some volunteers who monitor the colony. They told him that the pair of penguins, one male, and one female, recently lost their partners, and they have grown closer to comfort their losses.

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He also said that these two usually meet regularly and are often seen gazing towards the Melbourne lights away from the usually lively colony. They often are seen hugging and rubbing their flippers on each other.

Among these two, the white one on the right is an elderly female penguin, and the one on the left is a young male. Despite their age difference, they seem to have formed a strong bond.

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Bumgaerteren also added that he had spent three nights there to click the best picture. BBC quoted him as saying, “Between not being able or allowed to use any lights and the tiny penguins continuously moving, rubbing their flippers on each other's backs and cleaning one another, it was really hard to get a shot.”

What are fairy penguins?

Eudyptula minor or fairy penguins, or little penguins, are the smallest penguin species. They are small and have an average height of 33 centimeters. They live in the coastal area of southern Australia and New Zealand. 

The deep meaning of this picture amazed people how even penguins come closer to comfort each other. The picture has been featured in The Oceanographic Magazine after winning the Ocean photography awards. It can also be viewed on the Instagram account of Baumgaertner.