Penguins and Sea Lions

We took a 6 hour boat trip out into the Beagle Channel from Ushuaia at the base of Tierra del Fuego Island. We were able to get very close to the islands that were home to many sea birds, sea lions, and our favorite...penguins. These penguins are the Magellenic species and are very small, only about 15 inches high. The teenagers were in the middle of losing their fur--molting--and getting ready to swim up along the coast of Argentina to warmer weather in the fall and winter. They only live on this particular island for a few months of the year to make their nests, have their babies and then learn to swim and fish before moving northward.