Flying and Flightless Penguins

A few days ago, we decided to go on a short walk. We drove barely a mile out of Stanley before getting out of the rental car. We were next to a beautiful beach with tussock grass and heather reaching the 100 meters up to the trail from the water. We set out for the rocky headland which looked like it might sport the colony of Magellanic Penguins that was here.

As we walked toward the headland, my gaze flickered around the heather, and I started with surprise when I saw another face peering out at me. This one was black and white with pink around its eye. A penguin! It lay in a hole, looking out at the trail. The ocean must have been one-hundred meters away, and down a steep hillside through thick brush. As I stared, two little fluff-balls peeked their heads over the full-grown penguin. I wanted to reach into the nest, to scoop up those baby penguins, but chose, instead, to look around in search of more nests. Once I knew what to look for, I saw dozens of penguin burrows, some full and some empty.

One bird gave a loud braying call. This sound was obviously where their nickname, jackass penguin, came from. I smiled as the Magellanic Penguins waddled about their business, occasionally looking curiously at us as we passed.

Carefully, I leaned out over the edge of the headland. Six feet below me, three nests sported two baby cormorants in one nest, and three adults. The babies pecked at their mother's beak until finally she relented and tossed up fish scraps. I almost threw-up myself when I saw the babies take a mouthful of regurgitated fish enthusiastically. After a few seconds, they went back to begging but the full-grown cormorant turned resolutely away.

They acted just like penguins: diving for fish, airing out on rocks, curiously inspecting humans, and attracting me. Another pair of Rock Cormorants, or Rock Shags as they are called in the U.K., were flying between the nearby kelp field and the nest. The nest was, now that I looked, half built and, as I watched, it slowly began to take shape. I, after watching for about ten minutes, reluctantly left the birds to their business.

Regardless of a hail storm that stung any bare skin, it was a very exciting half-hour. We had seen both penguins and cormorants as we sailed down through the Chilean fjords, but we have rarely seen them this close or on land. It was nice to see a place with lots of wildlife, albeit a mile out of the biggest town in the Falklands. As we left, I couldn't help thinking that we saw both the flightless and the flying penguins in the form of the Magellanic Penguins and Rock Shags. - Porter