Penguins at the End of the World, Argentina
We did a lot of neat things at the end of the world in Ushuaia, Argentina. Spending a couple hours sailing in a boat down the Beagle Channel to view penguins, sea lions and other bird life was one of them.
Ushuaia is called The End of the World because it is commonly referred to the southernmost city in the world. It is also one of the main departure points for trips to Antarctica.
Look at the big sea lion with lady seals and cormorants all around him.
Throughout the channel there were big rocks like this providing a resting place for various types of wildlife.
I love the classic white and red light house with all the animals resting on it.
This was a giant petrel taking off in flight.
And then we saw the penguins!
These guys patrolled the area to make sure no one went onto shore and disturbed the penguins. With the exception of one tour company, no one was granted permission to walk on shore with the penguins.
The cool part about being in the boat was being able to see penguins swimming from above.
We got to watch their tiny bodies darting under the water so fast!
The Magellanic colony was naturally established around the 1970s and continues to grow. Males arrive first to the island and pick the best spot to build their nest.
I imagine this to be the look a of penguin looking for the best nesting spot.
Usually females pick the same males year after year for breeding.
Good thing – look at this class! We caught this one pooping!
Babies hatch in the first weeks of December and after about 40 days start to wander around their nests. By that time they are about as big as their parents.
And can they ever eat! Both parents take turns feeding the babies.
What? My mom dressed me this way.
During the end of January the birds have finished molting their juvenile plumage. They are then ready to swim for their food and after practicing long enough, will leave the colony.
Once these penguins leave as juveniles, some never come back, while others return after a few years and continue returning annually for the rest of their life.
We were lucky on the day we went as we also got to see a king penguin. Look at how much bigger and longer the nose is of the king penguin.
I love looking into those penguins eyes.
A very expressive penguin!
I love this shot. I call it, “Which way to the beach?”
Thinking about penguins having to watch their back all day while swimming in the sea, it was nice to know they have this island to rest at. We were so thankful to have another great opportunity to watch wildlife in their natural habitat.
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If you go:
We enjoyed the tour for the chance to go for a boat ride down the Beagle Channel. With Pira Tours, we found out after we already booked another tour, at the time they offered various combo full day tours with land and sea. Had we known before we paid for a different tour, we may have looked into this more.
There are tons of tour places in town. Walk around, ask what the deals are. We went with Canoero and were pleased with them. At the time it cost $120 for two people.
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Wow, that’s a lot of penguins! I’ve only seen them in zoos and love seeing the original photos of them in the wild. The King Penguin almost looks lost.
I know, that lone king penguin was so funny to see there. A handful of them frequent the island. Since we didn’t get to see more king penguins, we will just have to book our trip to Antarctica for sure now! 😉
Tif, Once again a shot to the bleachers. Great scenery, especially the lighthouse shot.
Keep ’em coming. Read every word with enthusiasm, well done.
Thanks and stay safe.
Thanks Brian! The scenery was awesome at Ushuaia so it made easy to get good pics. Being so close to Antarctica, it sure can be cold there however! Glad you enjoyed and thanks for the comment.
Great shots of the penguins! My friend Luis went to Antarctica for a trip last year and went sea kayaking around the icebergs for a week or so. He departed from Chile on a boat with mostly researchers and a few British and American tourists. Brilliant photos of ice from down there too. Nice work!
Thanks! I couldn’t imagine going to Antarctica and not coming back with amazing photos. Sounds like a great type of boat to be on, filled mostly with researches. Hopefully that will be us some day! 🙂
cool pics once again they look like a nun convention at myrtle beach haaa haaa I loved the movie mr poppers penguins I know im weird cant help it no really I love watching them at the zoo and that does not even come close to what you saw
Haha. Thanks Debbie! I never thought about all those penguins looking like a nun convention. I love it.
Oh boy! Look at those beautiful penguins. Thanks for the picture of the one pooping. I can cross that off my bucket list! 😛
Hahaha….it was pretty funny to see them pooping. Let me just say, penguins are forceful. They are such comical birds to watch.