We took our early flight on LAN from Santiago, Chile to Punta Arenas, Chile (paying $134.26 each for the round trip flights x6 for $805.58 total), arrived at the airport, met the guys that were renting us our motor homes, picked up some groceries for the week, and then headed to the port to take our 2 hour boat out to the uninhabited Magdalena Island in the Strait of Magellan to see the thousands of Magellanic penguins that go there to breed from September to February each year.
In March, the chicks are mature enough to leave the colony, so all of the penguins vacate the island and migrate further north up the Atlantic coast (towards Brazil). Magellanic penguins lay eggs in warm places where the temperature in the burrow can remain above 20 degrees Celsius. Magellanic penguins mate with the same partner year after year. The adult penguins arrive to Magdalena Island in September and the adult male penguins reclaim the same burrow they had from the previous year and wait to connect with their female partners. The females are able to recognize their mates from their call alone. You always see these penguins in pairs. In the mating season, 2 eggs are laid and the parents take turns incubating the eggs in 10-15 day shifts. We were able to see thousands of penguins (many of them furry baby penguins that had hatched from their eggs) at very close range and witness some of the mating calls. It was a very unique experience being able to be up close with such fascinating animals.
Luckily, it was a beautiful day with a lot of sunshine (we've had several friends attempt to go to Magdalena Island with no success due to the weather and storms that permeate the area for much of the year). Despite the sun, it was still very cold and obviously a good climate for penguins.
Cody giving kisses to one of the penguins.
3 pairs of penguins waddling along the path at Magdalena Island.
Family picture with hundreds of Magellanic penguins in the background.
Sawyer with a couple of baby penguins.
Nash with some penguins.
Ryder with some penguins.
Zander by a penguin burrow.
Family picture at Isla Magdalena.
Cody, giving kisses to one of the penguins.
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