Travelogue: Argentina & Antarctica! Penguins!

Thanks for being patient so far, and today we get to what you really came to the travelogue for: Penguins.

So we went next to the Falklands — the Malvinas — the Falklands.

Okay, if you aren’t old enough to remember the war, just understand that Argentina still wants the islands and their lucrative fishing rights, while the United Kingdom still wants to keep ownership. A referendum resulted in just three votes to join Argentina, with 99.8% of the populace (with a 92% turnout) wishing to remain a territory of the UK.

We joined Petra, a lovely young woman who is completing her EMT training, to visit her family’s sheep farm and its penguin colonies.

We drove on the paved road — yep, they have one, but just one — to a gravel road and then to the farm, where we left the road to set off across the peat. It all reminded me very much of western Ireland — only western Ireland did not have penguins nesting in the sheep pastures.

Penguins!

In February, the chicks are fledging, so you’ll see a lot of fuzzy young’uns in these photos. The Rockhopper Penguins were sharing rugged coastal nests with the King Cormorants. The Gentoo and Magellanic Penguins tended to stay to themselves, with a few exceptions.

The King Penguins here are molting and so are stuck in this location until their new feathers grow in and they’re waterproof again. This is why they may look a bit raggedy.

This was a fantastic day and I had so much fun taking these photos!