Compared to the threat from blue sharks, seals and Dominican gulls, walking in the white stuff is a doddle for Rockhopper penguins.

But last week's icy weather proved something of a novelty for one Magellanic penguin more than 1,000 miles away - in Mobberley.

"She looked a little puzzled when the snow came because she'd never seen it before," said Stuart Chapman, a keeper at the Hillside Bird Oasis - the only place in Britain to boast six different species of penguin.

But it didn't stop the three-year-old from wading through knee-deep snow to tip-toe out on to the frozen pond.

Penguins are sociable animals and it's rare to see one on its own, but she was not afraid to go it alone.

Using her flippers for balance, she shuffled on to the slippery ice as two King penguins, huddled together on a rock, watched the show from the sidelines.

But Stuart said winter wasn't all fun and games for everyone at the bird sanctuary.

Tropical birds, including some Caribbean flamingoes, didn't see the snow at all.

They will be spending the season in heated indoor sheds.

"The flamingoes were bred here so they are used to a colder climate but we took them inside when the temperature hit freezing," said Stuart.

"They haven't got the fat to keep them warm like penguins have."