I visited a dozen or so penguin colonies on and near Antarctica, and always, there was a steady stream of penguins going back and forth from the colony to the sea.

While observing these comings and goings, a penguin or two would curiously stop and look into my eyes—sometimes even walking up to me. Who knows what it was thinking; perhaps it said to itself in wonder, "Man, that's one tall penguin!" On my end, all I could do was snap photos and thrill to the experience.

This Adelie Penguin was on an island in the Weddell Sea just off the Antarctic Peninsula. These Antarctic penguin colonies are some of the wildest places on earth, and the penguins were so accepting of our presence!

Lee Rentz