STRAIT OF MAGELLAN INCLUDING PUENTA ARENAS, COCKBURN CHANNEL, AND BEAGLE CHANNEL--Saturday, December 7, 2013

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December 7^th, Saturday Punta Arenas. Rain and more rain.



What is it about some animals that make them cuter than others??? Baby anything are cute. Well, except snakes and alligators--actually most reptiles come to really think on it.

We think penguins fall into the cute category. Is it because they stand upright? Waddle funny? Look at you like they are really seeing you? Look like they are wearing miniature tuxes? Is it their little flipper arms or how they walk single file one following the other? All the above? Or is it just good press with movies like “March of the Penguins” or “Happy Feet.”

Whatever it is about them, before we left home, we wanted to make sure we went to see one of the Magellen penguin colonies out of Punta Arenas. To be really sure there was no hitch, we booked a 7:30 am excursion from the cruise line. One excursion option was to take a bus and then a ferry out to a large rock island and then walk through the colony. The second option, for ½ the price and the one we took, was to take a bus out to Otway Sound and then walk out ¾ of a mile to view the penguins and their burrows/nests. I chose the second option because, I was afraid with possible inclement weather the small ferries might not run and that there was mention of the path on the rock being slick and I sure didn’t want one of us to fall.

So, we loaded onto the bus and headed out of this town in for about an hour’s drive through farm land with very few trees. We soon turned off the paved highway and drove out on a dirt road across a kind of tundra/steppe/boggy type land with grasses, mosses and very low growing plants similar to what we saw in the northern part of New Foundland. In the fields were small flocks of geese—the Upland Goose. In the pouring rain, through the muddy bus windows, Valerie’s pictures did not come out well. Fortunately, we saw this same goose at our next stop in Ushuaia and she got some great shots.

We arrived at the entrance to the reserve, and putting on our winter hats, gloves, scarves, and jackets, we headed off the bus into the very cold rain. We walked about half way to the penguins on a gravel mud-puddled path before stepping onto a narrow-slatted board walk. The slats were set equal distance along with the space being as wide as the 2 inch slat. Walking with my chair cane was difficult as the tip wanted to land in the space and not on the slat. This would be a serious problem for someone who really needed to use a cane or walker.

Finally we found them!!! Four of them were standing right by the roped off path not more than 4-5 feet away—3 adults and one juvenile. I was real content to sit on my chair and watched them look back at me, stick themselves in and out of their burrows in the ground, and waddle around for the rest of the time we had. Valerie took another path and walked further along to a blind and watched them in the water and walk single file along a well-worn trail. She got really good pictures and several videos (see https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10202744600997475). What a treat--they were certainly not afraid of us and they are as cute as their press.

Walking back to the bus, we took time to look at the ground and the teeny, tiny, yellow flowers in the moss like plants and at several small birds flitting around. One was the sparrow we had seen before in Valpariso but the other was new—the Austral Negrito. This is a tiny black bird with a red “backpack on his shoulders.” This is what the woman ranger said she and her friends called it when they were in school. Course she said this name all in Spanish.

We got back on the bus and tried to get warm, forget dry, which would have to wait until we got back to our cabin. We were soaked! We were back on ship by 12:30 and in time for lunch after changing our clothes into dry ones and hanging all the wet gear in the shower stall.

After dinner, at 8:00, we went to the theater to see a song and dance program that played on the idea of the ship being “south.” The group did a good job with an hour of songs and dance routines to music like “Sweet Home Alabama,” Georgia on My Mind,” “The Tennessee Waltz,” and some Louisiana Cajun Zydeco.

That night, as we were so far south now, it was still light out at 10:00 pm. The same phenomenon happens here as it does in Alaska where there are hours and hours of sunlight in summer and little to no sunlight in winter. Valerie took some pictures of the sharp, snow covered peaks at that time of night.

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Comments

[Bob]

Dec 8, 2014
Hello, I've signed up for this trip, and am spending some time with research. Where to go...what to look for. It looks like this area has lots of places to go...after you walk the mile (LOL). If you have any advice, or hints, I would certainly appreciate your input. Thanks a lot Bob

[RamblingRosies]

Puenta Arenas, etc.
Please ask a specific question and we will try to get back to you. We are currently in South Africa and connectivity has been very limited, so only doing essential email. After the next few days, we should be doing better with wifi.

[Connie Voss]

We love your realistic style. We have traveled to most of the world - it was our goal and we wouldn't change a thing. This time, we sail out of San Antonio and spend 5 days in Antarctica - exciting for us! Now, you have
found Canal Sarmiento for us. Thanks! Connie and Dave from California