03.12.08 - Punta Arenas

"Chilly Willy" Patagonia Style

The entire object of this day’s travel from Puerto Natales to Punta Arenas was to see the Magallanes penguins. They famously congregate on Magallanes Island to breed by the tens of thousands. Unfortunately, today the wind and weather were simply too rough to make the boat trip to the island, so the other option was to head to Seno Otway Pingunera.

An hour-long mini-bus ride brought us to a board walked penguin habitat.



The penguins have created their own highway network through the grasslands, but after fifteen minutes of walking we had yet to catch a glimpse of a single creature.



The secret lay a little further along the boardwalk and just beyond the “beach blind”.



Hundreds of penguins were making their way onto the beach, congregating together as a brace against the very cold wind and sea spray.



Curiously, some would pop back into the surf, only to squawk a complaint and rejoin the group on the rocky beach.



Even though there were relatively few penguins to observe, these little guys still manage to captivate.



Soon, several of the larger birds started their nightly trek to the deeper grasslands.



They navigate the protective wispy clumps of grass, …



…with only an exposed head popping up every now and then.



A little further along the trail and the grasses thin, a bit, to form nesting areas.



Of course the poor penguins don’t stand an observatory chance at privacy, because if you can’t see them readily from the boardwalk, there are several elevated decks available.



Heading back towards the entrance of the park, the weather was definitely turning darker and colder, with the looming sun set.



Patagonia can be plenty cold enough without gale force winds, blowing flags perfectly horizontal to the ground.



We came to see one bird and ended up finishing the day with another. I can’t remember the name of this particular creature, which looks a bit like a miniature ostrich. It is not an emu, but still pointed to the continental drift theory and how at one point in ancient history there was a single super continent. Without this, it would be awfully coincidental for these similar birds to simultaneously develop on multiple continents.