We have had an exceptional crossing of
the Drake Passage on our way to Antarctica. Winds remained light almost the
whole trip and we were all very thankful of this. The alternative- high winds
and high seas- was only in our nightmares! In actual fact the Drake has an
undeserved reputation as a very rough stretch of water. It can often be light
to moderate, as we experienced. With light winds comes fog on the Drake and we
did not see much for the first day. The second day produced a lot of seabirds
and some great opportunities to photograph them.
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| Antarctic Petrel - a true bird of the ice |
After two days at sea we arrived near
land at the South Shetland Islands in the early afternoon, and then sailed down
to our first landing at Half Moon Island. We had great light but moderate winds
for the landing so it was cold onshore. We were greeted by lots of snow and
lots of Chinstrap Penguins on the small island, and also a nice Weddell Seal. The backdrop of Livingston Island
was spectacular!
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| Weddell Seal - FriedaPhoto |
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| Weddell Seal - FriedaPhoto |
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| The amazing Livingston Island |
A few penguins had laid their eggs but
most were still waiting for the “white stuff” to melt. These days it is often a
long wait as more snow is falling on the Antarctic Peninsula in the winter
because of climate change. Although they were waiting, the Chinstraps always looked busy walking to and fro, often with a new, prized stone in their beak for their nest.
Now that the penguins are laying eggs,
the skuas are actively hunting over the colony. However, in the few hours we
were on the island we didn’t see a one grab an penguin egg. When most people are introduced to skuas and their feeding habits, there is an automatic dislike because of our affection for penguins. However, we have to remember that skuas have to eat too and that a skua eating a penguin egg is no different to a penguin eating a krill. It's just that we have less feeling for krill than for penguins!
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| Brown Skua looking for penguin eggs |
So, we had a great first day in Antarctica and now look forward to more great weather, great experiences, and great photo opportunities as we sail deeper into the last continent.
