The penguins are leaving! The penguins are leaving! The penguins are leaving!

The March of the Penguins has begun. Not the 2005 film — that is a wonderful, if sometimes trying, show. Those filmed emperor penguins march up to sixty miles (100 kilometers) in the middle of the Antarctic winter to find food to feed their chicks. That saga is, to me, a reflection on how easy we have it as humans and how similar in their persistence and dedication penguins can be to us. In the budding of our spring, autumn down-under, the penguins start their monumental saga of survival. No, it is not that march in March to which I refer. Here, it is just after Twelfth Night, and with the disappearing decorations, the resident penguin crews are making preparations for their annual exit. This is the march in January to which I refer.

The striding penguins in this march are our recruits. Many are emperors. They visit to help out for the Holidays. For some, I have a village prepared on a nice warm elevated shelf. Others, the wind-up and more stuffed of their kind, play on a lower reach closer to the visiting children. I think it is, for both sorts, something of a vacation. The emperors must head back south to winter the weather and hatch more of those cute little chicks to appear in even more fun-loving flicks. Hollywood has a fondness for the babes.

Here you see the main party as it queues up for the start of their trek. The march leader is in front with the guards to the back — these directors and protectors have on the Santa caps. Things can get a bit challenging between here and Antarctica, and it pays to stay organized and well equipped.

This next bunch is the mechanized and fluffed-up penguin troop. You can see, from their dress and manner, that these penguins are prepared for the weather. The Arctic cold front here in Dallas is just the kick-off these hardy penguin hikers prefer for their travels.

Emperor penguins are the biggest of the penguins. Adult emperors can stand up to four feet tall (122 centimeters) and weigh up to 100 pounds (45 kilograms). They are very strong. In one reported case, it took six fit sailors to tackle one male penguin that weighed half as much as one of the sailors. Fantastic swimmers and divers, an emperor can average 4-6 miles (6-10 kilometers) per hour in the water, dive to up to 2,000 feet (610 meters) and stay under water up to 18 minutes. If you’re searching for pearls, these are the guys and gals to hire. Crowds are no problem. In fact, the penguins prefer large parties — you bring the fish and crustaceans. Cold is not an issue. Emperors come with their own insulation and can maintain a core temperature over an incredible range — from 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius) to -53 degrees Fahrenheit (-47 degrees Centigrade) and dropping. These are your mates in a snowstorm. Speech is amazing. A complex set of vocal calls allows parents to find their chicks in a mess and a maze. In fact, emperors are the best spoken of all the penguin species. Here are hats off to the emperors and their penguin race.

With a parting wave of farewell, we bid adieu to the annual march.

Until next year and, please, say hello to Santa for us.

When you do see him, of course.

Until then and again.

Grandpa Jim