Rise Up This Mornin, Smile With The Risin 🌞

The never-before-filmed behavior of emperor penguin chicks leaping off a 50-foot ice cliff to take their first swim was captured for the first time by Bertie Gregory.

At around five months old, these chicks leave their colony and typically enter the water from about one to two feet above sea ice. Recent high-resolution satellite imagery revealed that some colonies raise their chicks on higher, more permanent ice shelves. How these colonies descend these steep ice shelves has remained unconfirmed until now.

Multiple groups of chicks were observed heading in this direction, but due to challenging icy terrain and dangerous crevasses, the camera crew couldn’t follow on snowmobiles or foot. They disappeared over the horizon until Bertie launched a drone, revealing the enormous cliff they approached. Using the drone’s zoom lens from a safe distance, Bertie ensured he didn’t influence their behavior.

After several hours, a chick approached the edge and leaped into the freezing Southern Ocean unharmed, followed by many others. Bertie managed to nudge in close enough to capture this remarkable scene.