Berg Adventures Joints In Motion Patagonia Trek Dispatch

October 31, 2010 – A Visit to the Penguin Colony

This is Leila Silveira reporting from Punta Arenas on the last day of our Patagonia expedition. Yesterday we had a great drive from Puerto Natales to Punta Arenas. Again, we woke up with amazing weather; clear skies, and no wind. Sharon and Sue went off jogging along the shore, which is usually too windy an activity to even attempt.

We arrived in Punta Arenas just in time for lunch and then everyone headed out to do some exploring. We stayed at the famous Hotel Jose Nogueira, a mansion that is considered one of the most outstanding symbols of the city and in 1982 was declared a National Monument. Celebrities such as his majesty the king of Spain, Juan Carlos de Borbon, and the Princess Ana of England, have used this hotel as a temporary residence during their visits to Punta Arenas.

This morning we took a boat to Magdalena Island to see the Magellanic Penguins. We traveled 30 kilometers outside of town and took a zodiac for 30 minutes to the island. The nests are built underground where two eggs are laid. Incubation lasts around six weeks, and is a task shared between the parents in 10-15 day shifts. We saw some abandon eggs which meant that the parents were likely killed, since eggs are never left unattended.

It was a completely different dynamic than the first time we visited here last February. In February, there were lots of penguin chicks and the colony bustled with activity as the penguins prepared for their winter season. This trip, the penguins were a lot more mellow.

These Magellanic Penguins mate with the same partner year after year; the male reclaims his burrow from the previous year and waits to reconnect with his female partner who recognizes their mates through their call alone.

After one hour at the colony, we also visited Marta Island where we saw some sea lions, the penguin's main predator.

Back in Punta Arenas, George, Reginald, Sharon and Sue went to a tango show for the night. This is the last night together as a team; tomorrow each one of us will be going on to different locations. Sue and Sharon will be staying here an extra night so that they can catch their flight on Monday to Cape Horn. George and Reginald are going back to Buenos Aires and I will be returning back to Canada where I need to get prepared for my next expedition, the Volcanoes of Ecuador, in just a few days.