Black, white and having a ball

April 26, 2009

Black, white and having a ball

On a secluded, windswept beach, Steve McKenna discovers why small is beautiful.

As cormorants, petrels and oystercatchers criss-cross the blue skies above, the first penguin sighting on the ground sparks coos from my female friends. Initially the cute little creature seems to be frozen still underneath a thorny bush, then, looking all of a sudden startled by the human attention, he begins waddling away, flapping his wings.

Soon enough, a dozen of his comrades appear from their burrowed holes and start to squawk an ear-piercing tune that has us clasping our ears.

"I was hoping they'd sing like the penguins in Happy Feet," one of my friends says.

We are at the Reserva Provincial Punta Tombo, a small nature reserve on Argentina's Atlantic coast.

While there are countless places for penguin-spotting in Patagonia, Punta Tombo prides itself on having the world's biggest colony outside Antarctica. Between September and April, up to 250,000 Magellanic penguins flock here to breed.

The blending of warm-water currents from the north and cold from the south means the sea here is awash with nutrients, which in turn attract a plethora of sea life.

Southern right whales, orcas, dolphins, elephant seals and sea lions are frequently sighted, especially at the world-famous Peninsula Valdes, which is further up the coast. But down at secluded Punta Tombo the penguins are the stars.

Smaller than Antarctica's Emperors, the petite black-backed, white-bellied Magellanics are named after legendary Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan, whose 15th-century circumnavigation of the globe brought him into contact with these peculiar birds for the first time.

Unlike Antarctica, Punta Tombo doesn't have icebergs the size of skyscrapers as a backdrop. It's surrounded by the bleak Patagonian steppe, which hosts some eye-catching wildlife including armadillos, foxes and, especially, guanacos.

This parched landscape sweeps down to a long, curving beach and a number of tiny bays where most of the penguins congregate, granting glorious photo opportunities.

When we stroll down, thousands of them are bunched together, mingling, staring into space, scratching each other and play-fighting. This stunning sight provokes some dewy-eyed stares from my friends.

A few penguins break away from the huddle and leap into the water. It's not clear whether they're just having a playful swim or hunting, as hake, anchovy and squid top their list of favourite food.

Although you're not allowed to disturb them here, there are numerous other spots where you can literally walk among them.

We learn a salient lesson, though don't get too close. Despite their sweet reputation and diminutive stature the male, slighter larger than the female, is on average 70 centimetres tall and weighs five kilograms they have sharp beaks and are prepared to nip at you if they feel provoked.

When I amble a little too close to one and his chick, he leaps up and shoos me away with his snapping mouth. They're predictably protective of their nests and newborns but arguably the best time to come to Punta Tombo is in November, when eggs are hatched and the fledgling penguins ratchet up the cute factor even more.

In April, when the autumn chill arrives in Patagonia, the colony heads north to warmer Brazilian climes.

Article and image courtesy of SMH @
http://www.smh.com.au/travel/black-white-and-having-a-ball-20090423-age3.html