The penguin is arguably Edinburgh Zoo’s most famous resident.

They were among the first animals to arrive at the visitor attraction and have entertained the crowds every day since 1914.

On Sunday, I was given the chance to meet the birds as part of the new keeper experiences.

Erika Oulton, who leads the experiences, met us at the gate and took us up to the enclosure. She has been tasked with running the range of Magic Moments, which includes the penguins.

As we made our way up to see the penguins, Erika explained what I would be doing. I would be leading the penguin parade before hand feeding the birds themselves.

The penguin parade is one of the most famous events at the zoo. Every day the door to the pen is opened and, if they feel like it, the penguins have a wander around the lawn next door.

Despite being told beforehand they had not been coming out recently, two gentoos decided to go for a walkabout. They set off at some pace and we walked behind them, making sure they didn’t eat any sticks and kept to the paths.

By far the most exciting part of the day was when we went into the enclosure to feed the animals. They are very curious little creatures and the minute you step inside they come to investigate.

As soon as the bucket of whiting was opened, more of them jumped out the water and waddled towards us. The penguins are handfed twice a day so the keepers can get a good look at them and make sure they do not have any health problems.

It feels a bit odd to begin with; the fish looks too big to fit in the penguin’s mouth. But once you get going it is brilliant. They don’t have any teeth but use ridges on their tongues to hold onto the fish before swallowing it whole.

The different characters really started to show during feeding, with the greedy ones pecking their friends out the way before gulping down the fish. Other more cautious birds had a wee chew on the end before deciding to accept their dinner.

While we were distributing the fish, Erika explained the gentoo and king penguins are fed whiting while the smaller rockhoppers are given sprat.

After all the food was eaten up, the bubble machine was brought out. The keepers do a number of things to make life a little interesting for all their animals as part of the enrichment programme.

Penguins, it seems, are fascinated by anything which falls from the sky. They go mad for snow and enjoy watching the bubbles pop on their beaks. It was slightly surreal, a bit like watching very small children enthralled by the soapy magic.

The whole experience lasted about an hour or so. It was wonderful to get so close to such fascinating creatures, learn more about them and get to know the different characters.

IN DETAIL

Photos of penguins