[Leica] Gentoo Penguins

[Jayanand Govindaraj]

We now divert ourselves a bit to the Falkland Islands, a beach called Grave
Cove in particular, to meet my favourite penguin species, the ever
entertaining Gentoo Penguins. There is a large nesting colony at Grave
Cove, with the benefit that they are coming onshore all the time after
their foraging trips. They are the fastest of the penguin species in the
water, and it shows in their behaviour when coming ashore. Firstly, four
shots of them in the water:

Porpoising:
http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/SGF/Falklands/South+Georgia-20191028-12282.jpg.html

Popping:
http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/SGF/Falklands/South+Georgia-20191028-12534.jpg.html

Surfer:
http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/SGF/Falklands/South+Georgia-20191028-12546.jpg.html

Splash and Snorkel:
http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/SGF/Falklands/South+Georgia-20191028-12529.jpg.html

Then they land, with an almighty splash, very gently and every method in
between. They have a habit of snorkeling in a wave and suddenly popping up
in front of you on the beach, which is really endearing, and a bit like
magic!

Splash:
http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/SGF/Falklands/South+Georgia-20191028-13321.jpg.html

Splash 2:
http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/SGF/Falklands/South+Georgia-20191028-13869.jpg.html

Arrival:
http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/SGF/Falklands/South+Georgia-20191028-15777.jpg.html

Hand in Hand:
http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/SGF/Falklands/South+Georgia-20191028-13002.jpg.html

Even after they reach terra firma, their antics are wonderful to watch:

Gentoo Hop:
http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/SGF/Falklands/South+Georgia-20191028-15515.jpg.html

Gentoo March:
http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/SGF/Falklands/South+Georgia-20191028-13495.jpg.html

Gentoo Jig:
http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/SGF/Falklands/South+Georgia-20191028-13479.jpg.html

Gentoo Ball:
http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/SGF/Falklands/South+Georgia-20191028-13584.jpg.html

Please see LARGE

Comments and criticism, as ever, welcome!

Cheers
Jayanand