Antarctica 2023
SOUTH GEORGIA
Feb 12
GPS Position: 54°03.3’S / 036°50.6’W
Wind: W-5 • Sea State: Smooth • Weather: Cloudy
Air temp: 7° C • Sea temp: 7° C
We were warned about an early wakeup call, it's a 4:15am wake up call!!!!
Pippa wants to ensure we have enough time to do do 2 great landings today, and if 4:15 is the cost, we are willing to pay it.
Fortuna Bay
It's very early and we are heading out on the zodiac before we have even had breakfast. Fortuna Bay is on the northern end of South Georgia, and from the light of the early morning sunrise we can see there is a lot of wildlife here.
Terns, Petrels, and Shearwaters are following us into shore, gliding above our small boats. This morning we get the zodiac bay tour first, and spot many more birds including Imperial cormorants and a few penguins.
Elephant seals and Fur seals are gathered on the shores, and they are very curious about us.
We work our way along the beaches watching the March of the King Penguins.
Even the Gentoo penguins are joining the march. Where is everybody going?
A lone leisistic fur seal pup sits amongst a group of Elephant seals and some other pups that are bullying her.
We head back to the ship for breakfast and then it's our turn to head to the shore at
Fortuna Bay.
It's a wet landing at a King penguin rookery and there is so many baby fur seals greeting
us as we land. These ones a little less aggressive cause they are younger.
The early whalers from Norway brought reindeer to the island, and they became a bit of a problem as it was a perfect habitat for them to breed and live, but with no predators they got out of control, and along with escaped rats from ships they started changing the habitat of the island, and affecting some of the native birds. The South Georgia Heritage Trust instituted plans to eradicate both the rats and the reindeer from the island, and these antlers are all that remain.
These penguins keep on marching. There's a little stream/river that runs down to the beach, and our trail follows the river, past babies playing in the fresh waters, and penguins working their way up the hill.
I call this shot 'Abbey Road'
We hiked inland to the rookery and some amazing views across the valley, we finally figured out where all these penguins have been marching to, hundreds of thousands of them are gathered here. It was a beautiful day and getting very warm.
Unlike the colonies we saw in Antarctica, it doesn't smell near as bad here, and the ground isn't a slimy pink mess. That's the difference having actual dirt instead of frozen tundra makes.
The little fuzzy brown babies stand out amongst the formally dressed adults.
Well away from the shore, the grassy areas are full of mother fur seals with their pups.
Two of the cheeky little pups, letting us know we are in THEIR territory.
It's time to head back to the beach, say goodbye to our seal friends, and climb in the zodiac to head back to the ship.
We sail away from Fortuna Bay, and head towards our next stop, which is in the Bay of Isles
The Bay of Isles is named for its numerous islands, many of which are named after local birds; Albatross Island, Mollyhawk Island, Skua Island, Petrel Island, Prion Island, and Tern Island (There is also Crescent Island and Invisible Island). Of South Georgia's 31 breeding bird species, 17 are found here.
Salisbury Plain
It's our turn to get the first landing at Salisbury Plain, and it's a little hard to comprehend just how many animals are here, at a minimum they estimate 500,000+ pairs of King penguins, and there is literally tons of fur seals!!! And wee babies.
Once again it's a lush green grassy plain that we are walking along, and mother fur seals are feeding their pups.
We were encouraged to walk up to the rookery first and then come back to the beach, it's a beautiful warm afternoon with nice winds. The sounds amongst the colony are chaotic, male and female adults calling out, babies calling for their parents, it's a constant din.
It's more than a little exciting when Norine spots a mother penguin pull back her tuft of feathers to reveal an egg delicately balanced on her feet!
Things get a little tense when the Skuas and Giant Petrels come in looking for an easy snack of eggs or baby penguins, but the adult King penguins let them know they aren't welcome and we don't have to witness anything get eaten... this time.
As it's getting later in the afternoon, it's nap time for a lot of the critters.
Some of the babies seem huge with their downy feathers
When we get back to the beach area, it's just astounding how many penguins and seals are here. The beaches are full, the waters are full, it is impossible to follow the 'keep 5 meters from the animals" rule.
It's 4:00 and time to head back in to the waters and back to the ship, it has been such a long and unforgettable day. We have to go slow in the zodiacs as the waters are teeming with penguins.
One of the passengers brought their GoPro and stuck it in the water for a minute.
As we are leaving the Bay of Isles and heading back South, down South Georgia, the fog starts rolling in.
and when I say "rolling", I mean rolling...
And then we were in fog.
We had dinner in the fog with the Israeli couple again, the whole night talking about this incredible experience we had on another incredible day in South Georgia!