Thursday, January 30, 2014

Penguins


 
 
And up at crack of dawn, which dawned fine and calm, and into the boats for such a fun hour watching the thousands of penguins and seabirds go about their daily business.  It’s the penguin breeding season when they all come back to their burrows after months at sea; lots of chicks:
 
 

 
 

We took hundred of photos, they are all just so funny/sweet!!  There were also a few sea-lions poking their heads up off shore, looking for breakfast – not so funny!
 

 
 
 
 
 
 

One poor couple were raising 4 chicks – one normal, two OK, three difficult – but FOUR…!  Take a lot of fishing to feed them all, but they look robust:

 
 

The penguins didn’t have the island all to themselves, they share it with cormorants, kelp gulls, terns and the horrid skua,  voracious predator of baby chicks!


 
 
 

 
And that’s about the end of this bit of the story- back to the ship for a welcome breakfast, packing and then disembarkation at Punta Arenas.  It’s a nice town,  central square, good naval museum, lots of fine old buildings, and a very interesting old British steam ship  rotting quietly at a disused pier with two steel wrecks.

 


 
 
 

 
 
 
We both love Patagonia and we will be back….. but tomorrow we fly up to Atacama, and that promises to be another exciting adventure!

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