At last, the mothers are back. The penguins must find each other now. To find each other in the large couple, the penguins rely on sound, not sight. As they circle, the returning mothers trumpet loudly and wait for their mates to call back. The sounds made by all of them are deafening, and yet somehow, each of them hears their mates sound. Once the couple finds each other, the mother sees the chick for the first time.

Just as they did with the egg, the couple passes of the newborn from one to the other. Now, it is the mothers turn to protect the chick from the fierce cold. The father and the chick sing to one another, it is the only way that the two will recognize each others voices, and the only way the father will be able to find the chick when he returns.

The fathers have gone without food for over four moths, and have lost almost half of their weight. Yet still they must walk over seventy miles. Each year, some of these fathers will not make it back to the sea.

Like the sun, the chicks grow stronger every day. They are not yet ready to leave their mothers. In time, the chick will take its first steps alone. Yet winter is not over, and the last winter storm approaches. Many of the chicks will not survive it. For the mother, the pain of losing a chick seems unbearable. Every year a mother who has lost her chick will attempt to steal another, yet the group does not allow it.

Despite having known each other for only a few days, the bond between mother and chick is strong, and will only grow stronger. Once winters grip finally weakens, the chicks begin to run free. They huddle together for warmth. Winter may have ended, but the dangers have not. The chicks must be wary of predator birds like the Southern Giant Petrel.

It isn’t long before the fathers return, their bellies heavy with food. The chicks approach at once. The father listens for the call of his chick. For the next several months, the parents will take turns returning to the sea in search of food.