They appear to be such innocent, beguiling creatures. So adorable. So darn cute.
Well, from previous experience, I already know they attack. The Adelie penguins that came at me en masse while I took photos around the Aurora Australis will forever be a disturbing highlight of my life. Now I know penguins can lull you into suicidal behaviour.
My friend Sharon and I found ourselves in Argentina’s Tierra del Fuego thwarted by boat scheduling difficulties in a last minute attempt to scoot over to the Chilean Antarctic territory of Isla Navarino.
Our Antarctic cravings would have to be satisfied elsewhere. Plan B would have us spying on penguins hanging out on an island a kilometre or two north of the most southerly part of Chile.
We headed off on a bus and zodiac tour with the only Ushuaia company allowed to let touristy types wander respectfully near the penguins. The other tour companies offer penguin spotting from boats.
As we hurtled out of town in the mini-bus, Sharon was wondering whether the penguins were worth it. The suspension on the bus was clearly shot and the driver was far too comfortable on the road.
I noticed from the back window seat that our vehicle was being overtaken on the double yellow lines, so clearly everyone’s confidence was high.
The tour guide was friendly, well informed and willing to stop the bus if anyone felt sick.. and a few did.
After a fascinating trip to a remote museum to see the work volunteers are doing on the bones of locally washed up sea mammals like whales, seals and dolphins, we were in a zodiac rocketing over waves towards our little penguin friends.
The boat repeatedly smacked hard against the waves.
Our bodies weren’t thrown around, but the jarring motion was intense. Grimacing too hard could cause jaw damage. In one case, a woman’s head was donged against the canopy. This appeared to be an urgent mission to penguin land.
Again, the tour guide was great. She had lots of great information about the local colony along with the usual information of not approaching the penguins and letting them come to you.. if they want to.
This was a magellanic penguin colony that only formed over the past few decades.
It is the most southerly place to find magellanic penguins. Gentoo penguins had arrived fairly recently and the guide seemed most surprised to see two king penguins there that day.
I was surprised too to see the kings. I though that was not something I would see in Tierra del Fuego. It can be good to be wrong.
These magellanic penguins are nesting.
They like this particular island between Argentinia’s Tierra del Fuego and Chile’s Isla Navarino because it is spongy to walk on and it has easy access to the Altantic Ocean.
The penguin fledglings ambling around at this time of year are quite large and independent, although skua birds appeared still keen to pick them off.
It was about zero degrees Celsius and the wind was whipping things up; perfect sub-Antarctic weather for a walk around a penguin colony.
I admit I could have been dressed better, but I survived.
The things you do for penguins.
The newly arrived kings were outnumbered by the magellanic penguins, but they were clearly spoiling for a fight.
They pecked away at any other sort of penguin that came near. The kings are similar to the Antarctic emperor penguin, but with different patterns and they are not quite as big.
The gentoos were also fighting amongst themselves. These two appeared to be squabbling over who could stand on this geometric block of concrete.
.. and at last, just as we were to be sent back to on our bone jarring journey home, I had time to pull out the penguin toy I have been carrying these past six weeks from Sydney.
I did not have much time for the birds to waddle up and bond with it, but they were clearly interested. Just as they were about nest, or do whatever to the toy, we had to go.
I carefully slid my hand over to the stuffed version, grabbed it and returned to the zodiac exclaiming, “it is not a real one” and they said “I know.”
Gret story, and a shame you couldn’t see the reaxtions to the stuffed bird. Might have been a good story.
They’re really cute! I didn’t know there were penguins in Chile!
haha, no foolin’ the penguins. cute post, have a great weekend!
Penguins have such incredible personality! Great post — I’ll never forget taking my son to see “March of the Penguins” and having to remove him from the theater because he was so emotionally wrapped up in their little lives. He was only 3 — and he still talks about it!
I’d love to let him see the penguins up close some day. Your post is inspiring!
🙂
What an experience this must have been! Totally love your photos–and congrats on Freshly Pressed!
Kathy
Hahaha!! I love that you were “spying on penguins”.
Man, those things are cute!! 🙂
That is so great that you got to see them in their natural habitat. I am sure that they would have been interested in your stuffed one.
Congrats on being Freshly Pressed!
Penguins are amazing! Good post!
I’ll take my chances, I still think a penguin family would be the cutest thing to have around the pool !
The picture of the Gentoo penguins fighting is amazing! Oh “the things you do for penguins” :).
Sounds like an adventure! Some day, that will be crossed off my bucket list!
Those are amazing photos.
Do you mind if I copy some of them for a little something I’m doing in my spare time?
I’d like to know more.. my work is usually credited.
I muck around in graphics.
I saw the penguins and I thought they’d be perfect for “editing”.
I would try to animate them, but if that doesn’t work out, I’d just mix them up with heads/feet of different animals.
It’s not serious stuff and I wouldn’t get any money out of it.
Everything I did that was sorth posting would be posted on my blog. With your name, and a link to this page.
Educational and entertaining! Two thumbs up!
thank u for the story, love penguins! photos are amazing. great exepirience
*in the voice of Morgan Freeman* — Nice.
Those are awesome photos!!! Thanks for sharing such great pictures and stories!
Did you happen to notice the exotic smell emanating from the penguin rookery? But I’m glad that you got the chance to see the penguins. It was the best part of our trip to Antarctica earlier this year.
http://definitionofsanity.wordpress.com/2011/12/29/i-think-i-stepped-in-something/
It was extremely windy on the island so we were spared that joy. I have however experienced that particular downside to penguins. I was at an Adelie penguin rookery at Commonwealth Bay in East Antarctica. It managed to be both cute and disgusting at the same time. The fledglings were fuzzy and adorable and the parents were busy and strung out. All were covered in krill coloured penguin poo! There were many, many thousands of them. I have shots of the trip a few posts ago.
Penguins are just so darn cute:) Thanks for sharing & Congrats on being FP!
I wonder if penguins would do the same for us … but then we are not so cute and only few of use smell quite as strong of fish
I had a cruise to South America and missed out on a penguins tour in the Falkland Islands due to bad weather. My family quickly found another penguin tour in Chile, but it wasn’t quite the same. We were kept separate from the penguins at Ottway Penguin Reserve. However, those who took the other tour (fully booked) said they enjoyed being up close and personal with the Magellanic penguins.
I remembered Erik’s adorable face.I just watched happy feet and i can hear them singing while looking at your pictures.. 😀
Reblogged this on heylookchris.
I LOVE penguins! One day, I want to see them in real life. They’ve been my favourite animal/bird/thing for years 😉
Reblogged this on Inspiredweightloss and commented:
I like your blog, the penguins are so cute!
I had the pleasure of meeting some penguins in the Falklands and South Georgia many years ago. We did get quite close to the King Penguins, they were remarkably tame, probably the only way it could be described, we could get so close they could have eaten out of our hand, particularly the young. It’s a shame i can’t post a picture here to show how close we could get to them. And when you see the adult Kings in the wild it’s easy to see how they get their name, they do seem so Majestic.
I love penguins. They’re always watching. They remind me of a bunch of busy bodies. I have a feeling after watching people, they gossip about them.
This one is a really amazing post. I like these amazing pictures a lot. Great job. 🙂
Penguins are one of my favourite animals! Thank you for this post 😀
Wonderful photos of wonderful penguins. It is a shame they are so smelly.
Your photos of almost human waddling penguins have lifted my mood after a contentious firing sort of day (and reminded me that to avoid waddling, I must stop eating chocolate!)
Thank you for the wonderful story and photos. How exciting to be able to visit the penguins in person! Fascinated with the extreme hardship the Antarctic penguin parents have to endure to protect their little ones, I wrote a children’s ebook about it. Following are two related videos on You-Tube:
wow, thank you – now I want to go on a tour
oh cool, I didn’t know they had such powerful personalities. Then again, my bunny growls at me sometimes so, hehe. I love penguins though!
How cute!! My friend has stood behind me the whole time and kept exclaiming “Penguins!!!!” everytime I would pass another picture 🙂 We’re both big fans of penguins (and cuteness in general)
fascinating…thank you!
What an amazing experience, and fun chronicle of it!
It looked a little cold there, but a nice place to be to get those great shots.
Nice work!
Fun read and beautiful pictures!
You must really love penguins to go through all that. They’re such awesome, waddling, birds. Great pics!
I have to show this to my 13 year old son. He fell in love with penguins when he was three and his grandma took him to an aquarium. He’s collected toy penguins ever since…funny! Thanks for posting this, cool info!
Beautiful photos….they just give me the travel itch! I’ve never birded outside of Canada and hope to visit the Antarctic one day, too to see some penguins and other wildlife. Congrats on being on Freshly Pressed!
This was such an enjoyable read 🙂 Penguins are great!
It’s funny…I just watched Mr. Popper’s Penguins, the movie with Jim Carrey, and the Gentoo’s were the stars. Great pictures and I love the Gentoo’s checking out the stuffed one! Enjoyed your post!
I love penguins…you took some wonderful pictures! Thanks for the story and for sharing your adventure with the rest of us!
O how I would have loved to see them in person! I need a vacation to Chile! Amazing post! Vibrant pictures!
the photos are AMAZING
These pictures are hilarious! I love the movie March of the Penguins, but this travel tale is a better story. Thanks for sharing!
LOL! I love the little story at the end. Penguins are adorable but now that I know they attack, I do not know how close I would get to them. Those peek looks pretty pointy!
penguins are such lovely creatures.
I think penguin is a cute creature.
These photos are adorable, and I love your story. This post is awesome!
Good photos!
I. LOVE. PENGUINS. SO. MUCH.
Wow really cool
some day can thing I do for penguins… because my country Indonesia there are no penguins ^_^
Reblogged this on Kelli Renee Photography and commented:
I love this!
Interesting chronicles and great photos
i’m sure you had a blast while taking photos of penguins in their own habitat… so envious! your photos are beautiful and looking at them, it seems that i was also there viewing the wonderful scenery and observing those lovely penguins. thanks for sharing.
Fabulous post, truly interesting. Love when ppl blog from their hearts.
Take care.
Colin.
Informative and nicely put together!
nice post thanks
Ha ha ha ha ha! Your Blog made me laugh heartily. Soooooooooooooooo CUTE! The sight of the Penguin standing mightily alone on the block looking like he has won a Presdiential election just made my day. Congratulations for getting Freshly Pressed.
🙂
🙂
I really love penguins and like you, I find them adorable. But I never knew they attack. Thanks for the information.
Great story! Adelie penguins are so feisty when they want to be. One girl in our party ended up lying up against a rock fending one off once. Love the photos.
Kimberley
http://subantarcticscience.wordpress.com
I love your blog, and penguins! Check out our blog for more eco friendly stuff:D we will subscribe to you if you subscribe to us…..deal? 😉
You took some interesting pictures here, overall this is a great article.
That’s so cool that you tried to play a joke on them. You even planned it! Did you feel any surprise from them?
it’s very cute, i like them
No happy feet need to invent a new story…
Hej from Sweden !
Wow !!! Great post !!! I LOVE penguins ! Thanks so much !!!
Welcome to my blog; http://gullringstorpgoatsblog.wordpress.com
nice birds with wonderful photography……….
Nice images & I love Penguins so much they are so innocent in this Land
This was a great read! I love penguins, especially emperor penguins. I hope that I get a chance to see some in their natural habitats 🙂
Is very good!
Imagine – My dad went to Australia. Though it was a business trip, he got about 2 days free….and he DID NOT go and see the penguins !! I was like “Dad, seriously? What were you doing all the time? 😛 But anyways ….all of us are going to see the beautiful creatures of nature after like 2 months 🙂 Cheers
Please check out my latest post – http://raajclicks.wordpress.com/2012/03/24/capturing-the-text/
❤ love the little ones.
Great blog. Thanks for sharing all these.
I love the way the penguins are looking at your toy. Congratulations on being Freshly Pressed!
Fun post.
I saw King, Gentoo and Magellanic penguins in the Falklands – as well as Macaroni and Rockhopper. I have a sketch of a gentoo striding towards me, just like your photo. Your post brought back some very happy memories, so thanks for posting.
you have captured the penguins at very rare moment which are generally not seen. 🙂
I’m very sorry for writing this comment you must have spent hours reading these (that is if you actually read them). Anyway I loved the post (although personally I don’t understand why everyone loves penguins so much :).
Thanks! I do read them all. The response to the post has been amazing. Being freshly pressed is quite a privilege. No matter what you think penguins look (or smell like), their lack of fear is quite incredible. There is nothing like a wild animal that does not care whether you are there or not.
I agree and they are cute but sparrows have just as much character if you look closely enough and you can see them in your backyard.
thank and good post you have very good post topic
wow really superb posting freind……….
superb pictures…..
I am jealous of your penguin adventures…they are my FAVOURITE animal! I travelled to the zoo this summer to see the African Penguins that were there as a “special attraction” but to see them in their natural habitat would have been MORE amazing.
I love the photos.
Oh and I too bought a replica stuffed penguin animal 🙂
This is great – an entertaining story with beautiful photos! Those penguins do have personalities, don’t they?
Congrats on being Freshly Pressed!
Great photo you took there!Penguins are so lovable and cute! 3>
Reblogged this on The Little Thing to Share.
I love that last picture. I have always wanted to see penguins in the wild.
These penguins are so adorable !!!
Beautiful pics
Phooey. It didn’t embed. It’s the penguin widget from http://abowman.com/google-modules/penguins/. These penguins are benign.
Blue Skies,
CricketMuse
Reblogged this on transplantedlibrarian and commented:
SUPER CUTE PENGUINS!!!!
So of course I had to share. 🙂 My blog may soon become half-full of other people’s adorable animal pictures.
New life goal: become nature photographer.
Great post, I don’t like the cold but I’m glad you did and gave us this beautiful post.
What a great experience! Thanks for sharing it.
What a wonderful post. I enjoyed it very much — especially that adorable face peeking through the grass!! I’m emailing a link to this post to my daughter right away. For her, life is all things penguin. I wish I could give her a journey like this for her 21st birthday.
I’d do that and so much more for penguins!
Great pictures. Ironically, us discussing them and going to see them is probably contributing to their habitat degradation, but I guess we can all only do so much. I try making the little changes to prevent such decline, but it seems like the big changes needed to be made just aren’t available yet. Guess we just need to keep saving and appreciating!
Reblogged this on Anissette's Blog.
fantastic post…I love penguins and I love the part of the world you saw them in! – rita
I love penguins, although I never knew they had this side to them…
Nice pictures, but I would have never thought that pinguins attack… wow?
Great blog … great photos.
Great photos. I especially like the photo with the group of people and the lone man turned towards the camera.
Who doesn’t love penguins! I spent an afternoon among thousands of them near Puerto Madryn Argentina a couple of years ago and it was amazing. That photo of them inspecting the stuffed toy is great…
Oh yea,if they could only sing, what would they tell us? You told us, thanks for the trip into their universe.
And send some more posts, please.
Wow lovely pictures! So adorable! Good to know that they attack. Thanks for sharing your experiences.
Well, I imagine they would know the difference between a real and a fake penguin, given their job. But it’s a shame you couldn’t stick around longer after pulling out the toy (yeah Sydney!).
But you know something about penguins? http://littlewonder2.wordpress.com/2012/03/06/penguin-new-zealand/
Like your post, and the great photos.
Welcome to my new travel blog: http://www.places-seldom-traveled.com
Cool place to visit 🙂 Thanks for sharing. Congrats on being freshly pressed!
I liked getting the chance to see different types of penguins together. Thanks! Pretty interesting little beasts, and almost as cute as my puppy.
Nice pic. Thanks for sharing….
very entertaining!
I also love how penguins will steal each others nests when their rival isn’t looking.
Steven Wade Edinburgh
I feel that the penguins’ tendency to fight rather cuts down the ‘cute’. Your pictures are great. Thanks for posting them.
Wow, I always had a suspicion that penguins were not as friendly as they seem. Would still love to see them out of aquariums though. Would be good to know of the aftermath of the great stuffed toy penguin too!
Love these photographs!
Thanks for braving the elements to share these images!
Good Story… I just love the Damn Birds, lol
They are just so cute I wanna kick em! I mean hug, damn.
Penguins are so adorable! I like them so much that I taught preschool kids how to make toilet paper roll penguins. 🙂
Reblogged this on Sue's Weblog, My Thoughts and Ideas and commented:
I love penguins too and hope to have an adventure like this some day.
th eictres with pingins are very betifull like that
Reblogged this on Welcome to Sharp&Clever and commented:
Great Story…
Congrats! Your post is wonderful … wonderful photos … wonderful story … and that penguin toy … priceless.
I ❤ penguins!
Reblogged this on breakingdawn190 and commented:
amaging
This is great! I love it!
Wow!!! that must have been a…strange expirience!!!
read my blogs:
tinytheresa.wordpress.com
and comment, for what you wanna here on my blog, cus i only give what the people want!!!
You are so lucky:) what a beautiful story…
What an entertaining read! I am a big fan of penguins. Loved your photographs 🙂
Glad to hear you weren’t kidnapping penguins from the Antarctic 😉
Great pictures!! I love all of them.
This is great! I love the story interspersed with thew wonderful pictures, and had a good chortle over the reaction to the toy penguin :] hahah :] xx
I love penguins!
Loved this post! This is adorable, nice story 😉
❤ penguins! Thanks for sharing! (and I'm super jealous of your experience…though not necessarily of the bus ride…)
Reblogged this on Read. Write. Blog. and commented:
A good idea for new writers.
Loved your post! Love the pics….Love the penguins!!
great blog on penguins! That’s on my bucket list now.
Very well written story. I have a feeling that you might not have been able to get that stuffed penguin back once those two got to it.
This is really a good work. I appreciate your efforts behind that. Have a great day!
The last photo makes me laugh… “hey, peng! what’s that ??”
wow nice post and greate blog
Beautiful post.. Thanks for sharing..
I love Penguins too and your sharing has given me a deeper and intense insight on Penguins.
Thank you for sharing the story and beautiful pictures too!
I love them all 🙂
I absolutely LOVE the picture at the end. Those penguins have no idea what to do with the stuffed toy. I haven’t laughed that hard all night. 🙂
Also, I’ve NEVER heard about penguins attacking people before… I was a little shocked when I read that part. But, to be fair, I’ve never really read about people getting close to them either. Are there any pictures floating around of the attackers?
Loved this! I was just watching Planet Earth last night and it was the episode with the penguins. They are so darn cute. I remember getting charged by a sheep in a field in Yorkshire trying to take photographs. I also thought they were quite placid until it started head-butting me…lol. Thankfully, I haven’t experienced a penguin attack (yet). I live very close to the penguin colony at Cape Point (South Africa) and they are little darlings…well, most of the time?! I suppose you never know. 🙂
birds feels freedom…
These pictures are lovely. Penguins are such interesting animals.
LOve iT!!!
Not sure if “Attack of the Penguins” would be a good movie idea or not.
Wow. Looks like you got very up close and personal to those penguins!
Love the photos & insight into penguins!
Thanks 🙂
this is a great post
Verry interesting post. The penguins are absolutely cute!
cute pics. I love penguins. In some pics, they seem to be kinda tap dancing. And I can’t believe they could ATTACK till I read this.
Thank you for the lovely post.
My kids absolutely love penguins, so to bug them I wonder aloud if they taste like chicken. Gets a reaction out of them every time.
Great story. I loved the shots of the young. I am a sucker for the “not so mature”. Thanks for sharing your adventure.
OMG i just love penguins 😀 Something about them just gets to me. <(")
Such a fantastic story, and you write it so well!
Cute! I went there in 2007 and LOVED it! great pics
Your photos made my day, thanks for sharing. A well deserved Fresh Pressed posting!
Penguins animals beautiful and love her very much because they live a happy life and happy and free
that is great man
i love your blog
We just watched Frozen Planet last night and after watching an Adelie rob stones from another’s nest and laughing our heads off, this was a perfect punctuation. I have a stuffed Adelie. His name is Pete.
If you like penguins…you’ll like the movie “Happy Feet”.
We love penguins. We’ve seen them in Phillips Island, Australia, New Foundland, and Chile. Your pictures are great!
Aw. I love it that you brought a penguin toy.
Reblogged this on Unusual Stranger -_- and commented:
I Love Penguin 😀
love birds love frozen planet
SO ADORABLE!
Great story and great pix – I was very much amused and impressed by the lengths to which you and your friend are willing to go for penguins. 🙂
as soon as i saw this post i shared it on my facebook and a few other social media sites. thank you!
my daughter loves penguins… can’t wait to share this with her.
I love Penguins!!!! And love love love the fact that you carried a toy penguin! Their reaction is truly a priceless memory. Thank you for sharing, the post is wonderful 🙂
Congrats on being on freshly pressed. I really like your blog please check mine out http://thistrailersucks.com
Looks like an amazing trip. Great pics!
What an utterly fabulous blog and such wonderful photos! Penguins really are quite special creatures! Thank you for sharing this with us all! =)
So jealous. I love penguins and taking a trip to see them is totally on my life list. There are a couple of National Geographic cruises but they are very expensive.
I wept uncontrollably through much of “March of the Penguins,” and, embarrassingly, couldn’t get a hold of myself even after it was over. I sobbed throughout the long walk out of the theater to the car. I think people were a little concerned.
I think it may be cheaper to see penguins in Chilean Patagonia or in Tierra del Fuego. It is a big deal to see the magellanic penguins near Punta Arenas. There are also possibilities on the South Island of New Zealand. You can responsibly see unique yellow eyed penguins near Dunedin.
Beautiful pictures.. I had no idea they were in Chile. What a wonderful chance to see these beautiful birds. Thanks for sharing.
Hello,
I actually commented earlier and forgot to add a link to my Flickr account where I have some photos of penguins at Ottway Sound Penguin Reserve. Please visit my site. In the mean time, my pal Sock Monkey will be blogging about the experience down the road some time. He has his own blog called Big Sock Monkey Adventures.
Grece;
Entertaining and understated post, nice photos. Congrats on FP. I like that line, “It can be good to be wrong.”
Absolutely adorable!! I loved it. 🙂 Penguins have always been a favourite of mine, it’s great to hear your silly and slightly terrifying story of going to find them.
Reblogged this on Diary Of A Want To Be Blogger and commented:
It’s about Penguins.
How could I not?
I have read few of the articles on your website, and I really like your style of blogging. I added it to my favorites blog site list and will be checking back soon.
Interesting blog post – thanks. This was a pretty intriguing article. I hope to find more in the near future.
These are one of the finest photos of penguins over internet. but this is the first time i came to knew that penguins also attack. i thought theye were very polite animals
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Wow, superb blog layout! How long have you been blogging for? you make blogging look easy. The overall look of your site is magnificent, let alone the content!
Fantastic! I love your blog!
K
As a penguin I really loved reading this post – nice pics too 😀
Reblogged this on perkyandfriends and commented:
So I saw this and wasn’t going to initially reblog it because I didn’t want to have too many reblogs, but I keep looking at it and can’t resist any longer….especially as it contains even more pictures of penguins, and you should know by now what I think about penguin pictures!