Residents of a coastal Dunedin community say harbour dredging is forcing penguins to nest under their homes, vehicles and sheds.
But the head of the nearby port disagrees and authorities on the bird suggest the influx is more likely due to a little penguin population explosion.
Residents of Harington Point on the edge of Otago Harbour have been dealing with little penguins (kororā) nesting under their homes, vehicles and sheds and on their driveways.
Ms Spencer moved into her Harington Point home just over a year ago and almost immediately noticed the penguins’ behaviour.
The erosion had swept away 2500cu m of sand deposited by Port Otago to address the problem only weeks ago, she said.
"Their natural habitat is disappearing and they’re having to adapt and come closer to humans."
The penguins left during the day, returning at dusk and leaving again at dawn. They caused no harm, only making noise late at night and early in the morning, hiding under her shed and leaving trails of droppings.
Up to six residents of the area had them on their property, she said.
Her neighbour, Jan McLean, often had penguins under her campervan and a container on her property.
"I think we are quite blessed to have the little penguins here, but we are mindful that it’s not their normal habitat."
She also believed the dredging had resulted in the penguins moving inland.
Port Otago chief executive Kevin Winders disagreed.
"It’s clearly not as a result of Port Otago’s dredging. We’ve got a consent to dredge and there’s very strict requirements and consent conditions that we meet", Mr Winders said.
Port Otago worked with experts to ensure it knew the impacts of its dredging, he said.
"There’s no evidence in the reports that we have that there’s any impact on wildlife as a result of our dredging."
Otago Peninsula Trust ecotourism manager Hoani Langsbury said it was a natural phenomenon.
He also had little penguins nesting at his property, in his driveway, causing no issues.
The population of little penguins at the peninsula was growing and moving inland was a natural process of the growth, he said.
"From there we’ve had people at Harington Point and all the way back to Ōtākou and Harwood indicating that they now have penguins, which they’ve not had in the past."
Oamaru Blue Penguin Colony science and environmental manager Dr Philippa Agnew said the consensus was little penguins were doing pretty well as a species when protections were in place even though their numbers were declining in areas without conservation measures.
Because there were now several sites on the peninsula that were heavily trapped and well managed, it could be expected populations nearby were thriving.
Little penguins were often found on rocky shores or where there was a bit more ground cover, but they could also walk "for miles" past seemingly good spots to find another place to nest.
"There’s not really much logic there", Dr Agnew said.
"The thing too with them is that once they decide on a site they keep going back there.
"They’re just taking advantage of any opportunity for a nest whether it be somewhere we think is logical and sensible or not."
Mr Langsbury said people with penguins at their property could contact the Pukekura Trust, which could assist by providing nest boxes and filling holes that allowed the birds under homes.
