Er, has anyone seen the snow? Penguins await the big freeze as they enjoy a waddle on the grass

By RICHARD HARTLEY-PARKINSON

Looking up at the sky, some 200,000 penguins on the islands of South Georgia have gone to their breeding colony but found there is no snow

Looking up to the clear blue skies, these penguins think there is something amiss.
Pictures taken on the islands of South Georgia, a well-known breeding colony for royal penguins, show around 200,000 of the birds that were taken by photographer Sergey Kokinskiy, lacking the usual backdrop of snow.
The naturally curious animals look so out of place that they are almost cartoon-like to watch in what seems to be outside of their natural environment.
Mr Kokinskiy only discovered the penguins living with no snow when he landed on the island. It is not unusual for the islands not to have snow. In fact, June marks the start of their winter and the more familiar white-covered landscape should return within the next couple of weeks when temperatures usually reach -5°C.

The naturally curious animals look so out of place that they are almost cartoon-like to watch in what seems to be outside of their natural environment

Snowy mountains and a glacier can be seen in the background as these penguins waddle around on lush green grass

There's not much need for huddling for these penguins while the weather's on the warm side. Although the snow will soon start to fall

Mr Kokinskiy said: ' I went to the Antarctic because I fell in love with the harsh nature of the extreme north and the extreme south. I had always dreamed of visiting Antarctica and when I did, I was struck by the beauty of this majestic place.'

Is it all over there? Not yet, but over the next couple of weeks the landscape will turn white once more as the islands' winter gets underway with the mercury plummeting to an average of -5°C

It is forbidden to get closer than five metres to penguins, so as not to frighten the birds. Mr Kokinskiy added: 'If you sit down and don't make any sudden movements, the penguins with come to you within five or ten minutes. Some will try to bite you too - out of curiosity.'
The pictures were taken in an area of the island best suited for hatching chicks. There are no enemies for the penguins here and the sea provides them with a lot of food such as small fish and krill.
In early spring, all adult penguins go out to sea and cease to care for their young - who should have learned how to fish. Any chicks who have not learned to hunt for themselves, are left to die.

With a mist forming at the base of the mountains and, the scenery is no less dramatic than when it is a barren white breeding ground for penguins

Penguins are protected so people are not allowed closer than five metres away from them but, as Mr Kokinskiy shows, if you sit down and stay still for long enough they will come to you

source: dailymail