Beagle Channel Wildlife: The Southern Ocean's Edge
The Beagle Channel and its islands are home to extraordinary concentrations of subantarctic wildlife — Magellanic penguins, rock cormorants, South American sea lions, and the occasional orca; the boat tours from Ushuaia provide close encounters with these species in the channel's dramatic mountain setting
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Magellanic penguins
Isla de los Pájaros (Bird Island) and Isla Bridges in the Beagle Channel have colonies of Magellanic penguins available on day cruises from Ushuaia; the penguins - which mate for life and return to the same burrow each year - are in the colony from October to March; the combination of the Beagle Channel scenery and the penguin encounter is Ushuaia's most popular boat tour
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Mountain Cormorants
The Cormorant (Phalacrocorax magellanicus) — a seabird that breeds on the rocky cliffs of the Beagle Channel Islands — is one of the most numerous birds in the Channel; the cormorant colonies on Los Lobos Island are visible from the regular boat trip in the Beagle Channel; the nesting behavior of the birds, their dramatic dives and their colonial density can all be observed up close
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South American sea lions
Los Lobos Island (Island of the Wolves/Sea Lions) in the Beagle Channel has a permanent colony of South American sea lions; the bulls (up to 300 kg) and the puppies can be seen on the rocks from the tour boats; The social behavior of sea lions – the territorial displays, pup feeding and collective sunbathing – can be observed from meters away
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Darwin's Observations
The Beagle Channel was named after Darwin's ship and the channel was the site of some of Darwin's most important observations; the indigenous Yaghan people he met on the canal (and three of them were taken to England and returned by the Beagle) made him think about human evolution; the canal's history links wildlife to one of the most significant scientific voyages in history
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Albatross and Petrel
The open waters beyond the Beagle Channel – accessible on longer boat trips towards Cape Horn – have extraordinary seabird populations; the black-browed albatross (wingspan up to 2.4 m), the humpback whale and the wandering albatross soar over the rougher waters of the Southern Ocean; the pelagic birdwatching tours from Ushuaia are primarily operated for serious birdwatchers
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Orca sightings
Killer whales (orcas) are sometimes seen in the Beagle Channel and in the Strait of Magellan near Ushuaia; the killer whales follow the prey of the sea lion and the penguin; sightings are unpredictable but the possibility of encountering a killer whale on a Beagle Channel tour adds an element of excitement to any boat trip from Ushuaia