more landinwards there are plucks of penguins
these youngsters still sport some of the nest feathers
a bunch of juveniles weather the wind
the information center at the Sero Otway Penguinera looks a bit shabby
when you find yourself in a hole......
the Seno Otway penguins at Punta Arenas
Located on the windy eastern shores
of the
Brunswick Peninsula, the town's origins hark back to 1848 as a small penal colony. Thanks to a favorable position
on the
Strait of Magellan, a
gold rush and thriving sheep farming, the population grew to a present headcount of 130.000.
Punta
Arenas sits only 1500 km from Antarctica which makes the town an ideal base for Antarctic tours and expeditions.
One of the few
tourist attractions of Punta Arena is the colony of
Magellanic Penguins at the
Otway Sound, some 50 km north west of Punta
Arenas.
From October through February, penguin pairs hauling from as far as the Falklands use this desolate and windy location to
mate, lay eggs and raise their offspring.
On the plains around the sound you may see the
Lesser Rhea, "discovered" and described
by Charles Darwin himself.
We visited Punta Arenas and Otway Sound on a rainy day in February 2008. It was at the tail end of
the breeding season but there were still enough penguins to make our day.
Punta Arenas as seen from the harbor
a boardwalk leads you to the colony
the Otway beach does not invite to take a quick dip, it's cold and th wind blows
it's pretty crowded at the observatory, from where you can watch the penguins up close
adults take to the waters
you get a better view from above, but there is a waiting line
well hello there
Flamingoes? Yes, flown in from Venezuela
a couple of Kelp Gulls enjoy lunch. May be enough for dinner to...
Magelanic Penguins mate for life
on the way back we pass a lesser Rhea