This field season is the first time we’ve been at Punta Tombo, Argentina persistently from October to March since before the pandemic! We’ve seen chicks hatch and watched them grow into chubby fledglings. Unfortunately many died in December with their bellies full; we suspect it was due to toxic algae, which could also be the cause of the 71 southern right whale deaths in the same area.
Despite the difficulties, many chicks are still fledging and juveniles are slowly starting to come back for their first molt. Here’s a first look of a chick fledging, taken by our field volunteer Bryn Carter:
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Featured photo credit: Kalyna Durbak
