But there were lots of interesting birds. We didn't come across any better weather at our next shore excursion, but we sure did see penguins by the thousands. Our rules might prohibit us from approaching a penguin too closely, but penguins apparently have no rules restricting them from approaching humans. All you have to do is sit down and soon penguins will be checking you out up close or walking right by you. I may have seen thousands of penguins, but I was always ready to see some more.
Penguins are certainly cute to look at and they are a fascinating little creature to observe.
The Adelie, named for the wife of a French explorer, is closest to the image that most of us conjure up when picturing a penguin. There are maybe 5 million of them, and it is not all that unusual to see them in groups of 100,000 or more. The Gentoo, which is found over a wider area than other penguins, looks only a bit different from the Adelie. It has an orange bill and, instead of a white ring, it has a flash of white behind each eye. It weighs about the same as an Adelie and is only a couple inches taller.