Magellanic Penguins, Summer Penguins

Puerto Madryn, cataloged as the Gateway to the Valdés Peninsula, is not only an important tourist center for southern right whales and sea lions, but you can also observe peculiar birds that can’t fly and that you have surely imagined finding only on ice; especially between the months of September to March or what corresponds to the spring and summer in Argentina, you can see very closely colonies of penguins, yes, Penguins in summer !, Who would believe it ?, and is that from the province of Chubut to Tierra de Fuego in Argentina you can see these peculiar birds of majestic plumage unable to fly, while they come to reproduce and take care of their young on the maritime coast of the Patagonian region.

Following the penguins

Fuente

Throughout the Patagonian coast you can find Magellanic penguins, from the provinces of Santa Cruz (remembering the imposing Perito Moreno glacier) and Chubut to Tierra del Fuego (remembering the so-called end of the world) and Río Negro, where there are excellent sightseeing tours to get to know these small and friendly animals.

-Penguin San Lorenzo Ranch-

_{Magallanic penguin}

One of the best walks to make and therefore my first choice during my journey in search of penguins in the province of Chubut, is made in the well-known estancia San Lorenzo, the second best place to appreciate the penguin colonies thanks to the great number of specimens that are located in the area during part of spring and summer, really arrive many, being one of the largest and most careful faunal reserves in Argentina. Also from here, with luck as well as penguins you can get to see also Whales and Wolves or Sea Elephants. The place is really charming, once crossed the path that gives way to the room, the excitement is even greater when you are surprised by the fact that you can easily walk between them.
And yes, something I loved about the place is that it is allowed to walk near the Magellanic penguins and observe their behaviors, which of course accompanied by a good guide who explains us is really charming.

Among the things I learned during this journey about these peculiar birds are:

1. They are excellent swimmers but very bad to fly

_{They’re birds that can’t fly!}

2. They travel from the coasts of Brazil to the maritime coast of Patagonia only to reproduce and take care of their young, the tasks are for both parents, they take turns to hatch their eggs and look for food.

3. They only have a couple and usually return to the same place where they leave their nests every year.

4. They are very tender animals, and because they are Argentina's fauna reserve and to avoid disturbing them, you can be very close to them but always avoiding physical contact, they can’t be touched, grabbed or loaded.

5. They make very strong and peculiar sounds, as if they were angry.

_{I must confess that at first I was scared.}

-More Photos-

You can’t miss out on this wonderful experience if you are traveling to Patagonia Argentina! That is why I am pleased to tell you about the wonderful Magellanic penguins that are really worth visiting outside of a zoo, inviting you one more time to enjoy the greatest pleasure of life according to Aristotle: "The search for knowledge" and what better way than by observation and experience, I invite you to travel, to know and be happy, Sweet dreams and Happy life!

Loren Nunes
_{Photographs taken with my Canon Powershot sx30 IS camera on my last trip to Patagonia Argentina in 2012
Spanish version}