taking the PlUnge | 41When young seabirds first dip a toe in salty water, it is sometimes
a rather tentative dip. Think of the Gentoo Penguins returning repeat-
edly to the colony to be fed, or a young gull, able to fly, but still mewing
plaintively and complaining at its parents’ lack of due feeding diligence.
Sometimes the transition to independence can be prolonged because
parents and chicks remain together whilst at sea, for weeks or even
months. But sometimes the youngster quits the colony by itself. With
abrupt certainty it must adjust from life on land, assured of regular
feeding visits from its parents, to independent life at sea. Following that
adjustment, the young bird (depending on species) may not set foot on
land for several years. It embarks on a period of footloose immaturity
before it joins a breeding colony.