baby penguins

we just recently watched "the march of the penguins." it is a very sweet and beautiful movie that everyone should rent. I was fascinated by how each monogamous bird couple cherishes their egg -- their child. you actually witness "bird grief" when a couple accidentally loses their one and only egg to the frozen tundra. they are visibly sad and it's heartbreaking. another mother lost her egg and she literally tries to steal one from a poor unsuspecting fellow penguin. it got physical and other birds were able to help stop the abduction. wow.

it's remarkable, even in the bird world, what one will do to produce offspring -- to be a parent. the penguins and their little clawed feet travel for up to 60 miles in order to start their families. all that work and all that effort. I know exactly how they feel. they don't walk very fast and it's pretty damn cold. they travel through blizzards and exist in temperatures way below zero. the birds get tired, they're hungry, and some die. but it's that powerful instinct that drives the penguins to do this treacherous journey year after year. all for the baby penguins.