Little Penguin Burrow, Phillip Island Live Cam

A little penguin burrow on the Summerland Peninsula of Phillip Island, Victoria, seen from directly above the nest. The black-and-white night-vision picture shows a bed of dry grass and the bare walls of the chamber.

Little penguins are the smallest of all penguins, and the western end of the island holds one of the largest colonies in Australia, about 40,000 birds. They nest in burrows in the dunes and come ashore at sunset in the nightly Penguin Parade. The former housing estate here was bought back by the state and returned to the penguins by 2010.

Rather than the beach, this camera shows one wild burrow from the inside, so the nest fills the whole frame. In spring an adult may stand or rest on the grass at midday, while at other times the chamber can be empty.