We'd umm'd and ahh'd about whether it would be worth going, since we southern hemisphere dwellers had seen plenty of penguins already. But the decision was made fairly simply on the basis that there was little else to do in Punta Arenas.
Walking through the town that morning, we'd offered to take a photo of a guy trying to set his camera up on a park bench and struggling. Turns out he was in the Chilean navy, had just gone around Cape Horn and was more than happy to tell us the rest of his life story as well, but not before becoming facebook friends with Jeff. His logic? You can never have too many friends.
On the way to the penguins, our driver proved to have razor sharp eyes (apart from his excellent mechanical skills proven by his ability to fix our van when it broke down just after we hit the dirt road) as while dodging potholes he spotted a pair of nandu on the side of the road. And on the way back, a skunk!
It was a little early in the season, meaning that not all 5000 breeding pairs were likely to have arrived at the colony yet, so we were very excited by the first sighting.
Down by the beach, there were plenty more hanging out on the shore, watching the other penguins as they caught the waves in and then waddled up onto the sand to join the group. Occasionally a seagull that was hidding amongst them would take off and for a second, I'd get excited thinking I was watching evolution in progress.
Finally a little group decided to head back to their burrows and started waddling up the beach towards the dunes.
They passed right next to the shelter and formed a neat line as they entered the track leading amongst the grass and shrubs.
Sometimes they almost disappeared in the vegetation.
Until they each peeled off and went to their partners, where they preened.
They touched.
They waddled around some more.
And they called out.
To who we wondered.
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