Nothing says romance like a pile of rocks

It's actually quite sweet.

It's rocks. Real rocks a bird can build a nest out of.

On Wednesday, the keepers at the Shedd started rolling out the rocks for the Gentoo and Rockhopper penguins who call the aquarium home. For these types of penguin, nothing says romance like a pile of rocks.

"What's going on here is a very exciting day for the penguins," said Gretchen Freimuth, senior marine trainer at the Shedd. "This actually cues the birds to start pairing up and building those nests."

Now, if only someone would build me a pile of rocks...