| Memories
of Antarctica January, 2001 |
Funny Birds, mostly | |
| Our first encounter was
with a pair of Adelie penguins.
We were told that we were somewhat too far South for them; but they were there nevertheless. They are about a foot and a half tall. |
Adelie Penguins |
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| Then we were introduced to the Gentoos, giants by comparison. (They are
maybe a couple of feet when fully grown)
We were going to run into these characters on practically every island we visited, as well as on the continent, itself. |
Gentoo Penguins |
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We didn't see many Macaronis. This particular one was scrunched down on
some progeny (in egg form). They have cute little reddish whiskers
that wiggle in the breeze.
In this colony they were nesting among a huge number of chinstrap penguins. |
Macaroni Penguins |
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These chinstraps are apparently constantly in a state of euphoria, or so it seems. Contrary to appearances they are not really smiling.
Or could it be that they thought this guy was REALLY funny. |
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I guess if you own a tux and go on a cruise you just about have to take
it along.
And then you find out that all that is expected for the Captain's Dinner is that ties are optional. So it's only natural that ou take the tux ashore, just to prove that you've got what it takes. |
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Just in case you thought that penguins were the only birds around...
Blue-eyed shags, also known are cormorants, co-habit with the penguins in many colonies. They don't seem to mind diversity, since they have different feeding habits and thus do not compete. |
Blue-eyed Shags, aka Cormorants |
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They look somewhat like the macaronis, except that their "sideburns" are white instead of reddish. It's hard to photograph them since they tend to hide out in burrows. |
Rockhopper |
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This is what a rockhopper looks like when he peeks out his "front door." |
Rockhopper |
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These are Magellanic Penguins, also found in the Falklands. They, too, build nests in the ground and hide out in burrows. But, like the rockhoppers and the fairies in Australia, they all go "shopping" in the ocean for their sustenance. |
 Magellanic Penguin |
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Royalty, at last, on the Falkland Islands, where else. These are King Penguins who, apparently, prefer a more northern climate, along with the Magellanic and rockhoppers. In case you wondered:we found many Gentoos in the Falklands, as well. These guys are tall, about 3 and a half feet. Those penguins looked mighty unconcerned most of the time. |
King Penguins |
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But fact of the matter is, there are those who love them not for their looks but because they taste good. The Skua is one of them -- the go mostly for chicks: mom and dad are too big for them. |
Skua |
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It wouldn't be fair not to show you some of the awesome scenery that mom nature is capable of in the freezer down south. |
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