Antarctic Photos 10 - Penguins
Most of the penguins we saw were Gentoos, with some
Chinstraps on Deception Island and Adelies at Palmer Station. We had earlier
seen Rockhoppers and Magellanic penguins in the Falklands. Their social
interactions in the rookeries where they nest are fascinating and you could
easily spend hours just observing the canoodling of the mating couples; the
tenderness of their care for their chicks, regurgitating half-digested krill
into their mpouths and their outrage if another penguin comes within pecking
distance of their nest.
A Gentoo calling for its mate
The access from the rookery to the sea is a well-trodden
motorway
When they are in the water, they porpoise along. Under
the water they zip around at incredible speed.
But if they get caught by a Leopard seal, this is all
that’s left.
A Gentoo with two little chicks
If you look closely, you can see a stream of regurgitated
krill being transferred from the adults mouth to its chick. Note the round and
hollowed nest made from small stones
Even though skuas feed off eggs and chicks when they can
get them, the penguins are pretty relaxed until they come too close to the
nest
An ice flow provides a convenient meeting place for
feeding penguins
Here are a couple leaping a metre out of the water to
join the club
A philosophical penguin pondering on the meaning of
life
An Adelie penguin at Palmer Station
… and a Chinstrap penguin on Deception
island
