"The media have gone into a feeding frenzy over Yellow-eyed Penguins over the last few days and from the calls I have had from overseas news agencies, this event is travelling all over the world at a rapid rate. We have now had reports of 18 dead chicks and 3 adults over the last two weeks. In all instances birds appear to have starved to death with weights less than half of fledging, mostly <2.7. The distribution of dead birds is unusual in that we have had one report of a banded chick being recovered on a north Island West Coast beach, as far as I can gather, the first on the west coast and about as far north as they have ever been recorded. Again, a number of birds banded on the Otago Peninsula have turned up dead well south of their natal area. Given that in the 18 years of this study we have only recorded two or three birds south of their natal area, it is unusual to report at least three recoveries. The breeding season itself was great with a very high fledging rate, chick weights were not brilliant, but well within the normal range. Most chicks fledged mid Feb- March."--John Darby <john.darby@clear.net.nz>.