Hey... Macaroni! (And a Bonus Chinstrap)

After seeing the King Penguin colony on Salisbury Plain, we wanted next to see the Macaroni Penguins, sometimes called by Sila's crew spaghetti penguins or pasta penguins. When we came into Cobbler's Cove and hiked over the hill, our wish came true.

When we arrived at the colony, I sat down and read about the little birds in the wildlife guide I had carried with me from the boat. I read the short bit of information about them, identified them as Macaronis, and began telling people random facts. For example, I might say,"See how thick that beak is? It can support the penguin's weight when they climb cliffs to nest. It is also so they can crush shellfish and krill, which is most of their diet. And see that little pink spot next to the beak? That is how we can tell that they are Macaroni penguins, not Rock-hoppers or Royals, or Antarctic Macaronis. And did you know that they lay two eggs? The second is the largest, and they don't incubate the first so that when the larger egg hatches, it can eat the other one." I said all these things in a single, excited breath.

When we got back to Sila, I was inspired to write a poem about the Macaronis.

When you arrive at South Georgia,
you see the molting kings,
and realize, a kazoo on the bird's beak
is comically how he sings.

Then you'll see the Gentoo
and you'll feel sorry for him
for he is neither large nor decorative,
and people only visit on a whim.

But the moment you'll look forward to,
is seeing two tufts upon the head
of a no-nonsense little penguin,
with its eyes bright and red.

Where the Kings curiously peck your boot
and the Gentoos watch in awe,
the Macaronis stare stubbornly
and give a warning caw.

Though they act so businesslike
as clowns they are dressed
and with yellow hairs above their ears
at attracting visitors, they are best.

I was taking a break from writing this when we were hailed by Sherry, one of the people who is working the season here on South Georgia. She told us that a Chinstrap Penguin had just come ashore. At those words, I was up and running.

Chinstraps are one of the most common penguins on the Antarctic Peninsula. Unfortunately, we are not on the Antarctic Peninsula. We are on South Georgia, a place where visiting Chinstraps are very rare. Distantly, in the back of my head, I wanted to see one, but there are so many other things I wanted to see here that I did not think too much about the possibility.

I never thought I would see one and then there I was, standing watching a little elegant penguin look curiously around. It had no Auricular patch to give color to its neck and no Mandibular plate to give color to its beak like the King, Gentoo, and Macaroni. It was black backed and white bellied, nothing special except for the distinctive black line running under its chin.

The Chinstrap looked to me like a little penguin pilot. I imagined that it had made up for its inability to fly on its own, by becoming a pilot who flies planes. I laughed to myself at the thought of a penguin flying in the movie Top Gun. Watching the little guy looking around, I could easily imagine him flying across the sky in a fighter jet.- Porter

Editor's note: We saw the Macaroni Penguins on February 13 and 14 at Rookery Point, having walked over from Cobbler's Cove. Cobbler's Cove was one of the most protected anchorages we have experienced in South Georgia at 54°16.7'S 36°17.9'W. The Chinstrap made his appearance yesterday in Grytviken, 54°16.9'S 30°17.5'W. We are still tied up in Grytviken, waiting for a good weather window to make our run north. While we wait, we continue to enjoy this extraordinary place.