Bad News for Gars O'Higgins Gentoo Penguin Rookery

The spring hurricane has wreaked  havoc on our beloved penguins. It has been estimated that 60% of the nests have been abandoned, and as there is no second brood season, there will be a disappointing lack of offspring present at Gars O'Higgins.  The irony of the situation is that there were more nests this year than in many years passed.

The data from Gars O'Higgins weather station reveals  how highly destructive this weather event was: for more than 10 hours, the mean wind speed was over 150 km / hour, and for about 2 hours, the wind speed was in the range of 200 km / hour.


Those nests that survived the ordeal did so thanks to the concrete wall, shown in the image below. Unfortunately, for many pairs of Gentoos, another year must pass before they get another shot at parenthood.






The above image demonstrates the number of nests that have been abandoned.

Source