Salisbury Plain and Prion Island

 

The welcoming committee.

Porpoising penguins.

The scouting party.

No wonder the penguins carefully pick their way around the elephant seals.

The Expedition, home away from home.

Penguins enduring a catastrophic moult.

South Georgia Pintail.

Penguins keeping cool.

Beautiful birds.

Skuas, one of the predators of chicks and eggs.

A grounded iceberg.

Gentoo with eggs.

A year old wandering albatross chick, a few months from fledging.

A young giant petrel testing its wings.

The fur seal that chased me up the beach (I have a video).

Friday, November 1^st.

Bay of Isles, Salisbury Plain, South Georgia Island

This morning we were loaded up in the Zodiacs and transported to an area of Salisbury Plain where the crew deemed it was safe to land, with not too much swell and few male fur or elephant seals. This is a wide open, flat plain in front of the highest peaks of South Georgia Island. We could see groups of penguins stretching out in either direction. There were a few elephant seals and fur seals, but mostly king penguins.

We walked inland and then turned left for the main part of the colony, after which we returned to that point and turned right to where we could see a large number standing on the snow. Why do they stand in the snow, rather than on the warmer, more comfortable grass plain in front of them? Because, as Marcelo says, ‘it’s all about energy’. They are thermo-regulating. Because the weather is quite balmy, they are overheating and stand or lay in the snow to cool down. Eventually I walked back to the beach and made a few movies of the penguins wandering about. Up on the plain they are mostly standing around or saving energy while they moult and the more active ones are at the beach either coming or going.

The year-old chicks are all moulting which apparently is a stressful (and perhaps itchy) time for them. They cannot enter the water as they are not waterproof and would freeze to death, so they need to wait and preen.

Getting back into the Zodiac off the beach with the increased swell was a bit of a challenge, and being in the front of the craft a large swell breached over the bow as were loading from the rear. I got quite wet, but happily my waterproof camera bag, parka and rain pants all rose to the challenge. Only my small fleece gloves got soaked.

Back for lunch.

In the afternoon we visited Prion Island. Only 50 people can land on the island at a time, so half of us had an hour-long cruise in a Zodiac checking out an iceberg and the coastline of the island. Then it was our turn to land and see the animals on the beach before walking up the wooden boardwalk that protects the natural grasses of the area. Scobie built it years ago as part of an environmental project. On the way up we passed a Gentoo colony and some had eggs in the nest. Great to hear the calls as they greet each other when they return from feeding. At the top of the hill we saw nesting giant petrels and a few wandering albatross chicks. They are enormous! After that I returned to the beach and spent the remainder of my time watching the young giant petrels testing their wings on the beach and the penguins ‘porpoising’ as they returned from the sea. I also saw a fur seal swimming around in the shallows as she tried to find a way around the Zodiac. Then while I was filming her walking up the beach, she charged me! Shortly after that we returned to the ship.

I had a couple of beer before dinner and a glass of wine during. After dinner there was a showing of a film about the British whaling operation. It was pretty gruesome and depressing but interesting nonetheless. However, I fell asleep part way through and Bruce and John woke me up to an empty lounge in the dark. They had considered going to bed and leaving me there. Nice.