Cape Horn, South America.
I have just finished crossing the drake back to South America. It was a much bumpier ride than on the way over, but it's turns out I'm secretly part viking because I didn't take any medication and I didn't get sick. Does the quanine in tonic water keep away seasickness in addition to malaria? I conducted preliminary research.
The drake on the return was rough, and after days of getting on and off the ship, it was a harder to just sit on the ship without doing anything. Yesterday (2/15) I attended an lecture on sailor supersticions, had some of my good photographs critiqued by Jay, the NatGeo photographer, hung out with astronaut Bill Readdy (who incidentally loves my nephew), watched Madagascar, and played lots of board games.
Yesterday , my nephew and I went outside to the bow after dinner to "ride the waves." He did more of the photography and I did more of the bow riding. There were awesome waves, but of course not while I was out there...the ship bobbed alot, but I didn't get too wet.
Last night we were warned that when we hit the continental shelf it would get a bit bumpy. That was the understatement of the year. I didn't go to bed until late, and just when I was falling asleep, the ship started going wild. I could barely stay in bed. A waterbottle fell off the shelf (which has a rail), it was clanging aroudn the room, I got up to retrieve it, but it was so difficult to stand up, I almost crawled to retrieve it. I finally did fall asleep (after being in bed for hours) and when I woke up this morning, they announced it was so rough and choppy they actually diverted course (which is prob when I fell asleep).
This morning (2/16) I awoke just off of Cape Horn (roughest water in world + most shipwrecks ever) to a beautiful blue sky with land in the distance. Magnificent birds have returned to our ship as we slowly make our way to the Beagle Channel to return to Ushuaia. In fact, there are a few albatross just outside of my window as I type.
It has been a fabulous trip. Antarctica is more beautiful than I ever could have imagined; pictures just don't do it justice. But I also witnessed a fragile ecosystem, and saw birds and penguins struggling to adapt as their climate changes rapidly. If I had to pick one day that just blew the rest out of the water, it was probably cruising through the Weddell Sea, seeing the tabular bergs, their blue hue, and their reflections in clear blue water, the whales, and of course - my polar plunge. By contrast, the day at Dorian was really heartbreaking, watching the baby Gentoos struggle in the unnatural freezing rain.
Showing posts with label Gentoo Penguin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gentoo Penguin. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Port Lockroy...it's finally cold
Wiencke Island - Port Lockroy; Jougla Point.
Well, I think I've now experienced the Antarctic cold. Yesterday I was lucky as we sailed throught the Weddell Sea in blue skies and a sun above. Today was windy, cold, wet, and pretty miserable. In the afternoon we were offered an excursion to Jougla Point and/or Port Lockroy. Most people opted for only the latter...stupid people, like me, went for both.
I went to Jougla point to see a gentoo rookery, but moreover to see Whale Bones and the Blue Eyed Shag. The Blue Eyed Shags were graceful, but due to awful visibility, wind which almost blew me off my feet, and horizontal hail, I wasn't quite able to see the blue around their eyes. After seeing the birds and more penguins, I walked back to the shore, and then alongside the shore so as not to disturb the molting penguins. Penguins molt for about 3-4 weeks, where they don't go to sea, but literally sit there shivering as they get new feathers. It doesn't look like fun. The smart ones seem to have chosen locations to stand where they are shielded from the wind. If you disturb them, it can set back their molt, which sets back their departure to the sea and can mean they don't make it. So I walked along the shoreline, which was full of ice.
I got to see the two giant whale bones. The bones were found on the island, but have been rearranged to look like what they once looked like inside a whale. I can't describe just how wet and cold it was. My pictures are relatively blurry since my lens was covered with drops. But I'm hoping some of the pictures came out ok.
After Jougla Point I took a zodiac to Port Lockroy to look at the Bransfield House, which is a pretty cool museum that shows how the early explorers and scientists lived. The house is intact and has some neat things, like an old grammaphone. Port Lockroy was, and continues to operate, as a British base on Antarctica. It has the best giftshop and I bought an Antarctic Tartan scarf. Take that burberry.
As an aside, the seas are pretty rough and you can see the wind sweeping across the water and the katabatics creating surges.
Well, I think I've now experienced the Antarctic cold. Yesterday I was lucky as we sailed throught the Weddell Sea in blue skies and a sun above. Today was windy, cold, wet, and pretty miserable. In the afternoon we were offered an excursion to Jougla Point and/or Port Lockroy. Most people opted for only the latter...stupid people, like me, went for both.
I went to Jougla point to see a gentoo rookery, but moreover to see Whale Bones and the Blue Eyed Shag. The Blue Eyed Shags were graceful, but due to awful visibility, wind which almost blew me off my feet, and horizontal hail, I wasn't quite able to see the blue around their eyes. After seeing the birds and more penguins, I walked back to the shore, and then alongside the shore so as not to disturb the molting penguins. Penguins molt for about 3-4 weeks, where they don't go to sea, but literally sit there shivering as they get new feathers. It doesn't look like fun. The smart ones seem to have chosen locations to stand where they are shielded from the wind. If you disturb them, it can set back their molt, which sets back their departure to the sea and can mean they don't make it. So I walked along the shoreline, which was full of ice.
I got to see the two giant whale bones. The bones were found on the island, but have been rearranged to look like what they once looked like inside a whale. I can't describe just how wet and cold it was. My pictures are relatively blurry since my lens was covered with drops. But I'm hoping some of the pictures came out ok.
After Jougla Point I took a zodiac to Port Lockroy to look at the Bransfield House, which is a pretty cool museum that shows how the early explorers and scientists lived. The house is intact and has some neat things, like an old grammaphone. Port Lockroy was, and continues to operate, as a British base on Antarctica. It has the best giftshop and I bought an Antarctic Tartan scarf. Take that burberry.
As an aside, the seas are pretty rough and you can see the wind sweeping across the water and the katabatics creating surges.
Cuverville Island
Gerlache Strait - Cuverville Island
(Connection is very slow, so photo markers are in, and pictures to follow)
(Updated 2/18: pictures are in)
Our planned landing for this morning was scuttled when a giant iceberg disintegrated in front of the landing area. To top that, there were katabatic winds (doesn't sound good, does it) coming off the land. Katabatic winds are caused by denser, colder air rushing down off the polar plateau toward the coast. They can get up to 320km/h. So we went to plan B, Cuverville Island.
The landing at Cuverville was interesting in that I got off the zodiac and landed in a tide pool. The tide pool area was rather large, very rocky, with red kelp. In some of the inner pools there were crustaceans (small ones) and leeches (tiny). Sitting/bathing on the larger rocks were quite a few fur seals. Penguins were marching from the snow on the mountain down to the water. I got to see how penguins clean themselves off before they head to sea for fishing. I got some interesting wildlife shots, including this fur seal.
Penguin in the tide pool:
Penguin going in for a swim:
After hanging around in the tide pool area for at least a good hour I went up the hill to walk on the snow and check out some of the Gentoo rookeries on the island. The gentoos here look better than the onces I saw at Dorian last week. But the chicks are still late so it remains to be seen how many will survive the winter.
Penguin Chicks:
My nephew climbed up behind the rookeries (not directly behind them) and went sledding down a pretty decent sized hill. Looked like fun, but i was busy snapping this penguin family:
Happy Feet:
Skua and Penguin aka Predator and Prey:
Off to Port Lockeroy (2nd attempt)...
PS - there is a blizzard outside. Crazy snow, wind at 30 knots...
(Connection is very slow, so photo markers are in, and pictures to follow)
(Updated 2/18: pictures are in)
Our planned landing for this morning was scuttled when a giant iceberg disintegrated in front of the landing area. To top that, there were katabatic winds (doesn't sound good, does it) coming off the land. Katabatic winds are caused by denser, colder air rushing down off the polar plateau toward the coast. They can get up to 320km/h. So we went to plan B, Cuverville Island.
The landing at Cuverville was interesting in that I got off the zodiac and landed in a tide pool. The tide pool area was rather large, very rocky, with red kelp. In some of the inner pools there were crustaceans (small ones) and leeches (tiny). Sitting/bathing on the larger rocks were quite a few fur seals. Penguins were marching from the snow on the mountain down to the water. I got to see how penguins clean themselves off before they head to sea for fishing. I got some interesting wildlife shots, including this fur seal.
Penguin in the tide pool:
Penguin going in for a swim:
After hanging around in the tide pool area for at least a good hour I went up the hill to walk on the snow and check out some of the Gentoo rookeries on the island. The gentoos here look better than the onces I saw at Dorian last week. But the chicks are still late so it remains to be seen how many will survive the winter.
Penguin Chicks:
My nephew climbed up behind the rookeries (not directly behind them) and went sledding down a pretty decent sized hill. Looked like fun, but i was busy snapping this penguin family:
Happy Feet:
Skua and Penguin aka Predator and Prey:
Off to Port Lockeroy (2nd attempt)...
PS - there is a blizzard outside. Crazy snow, wind at 30 knots...
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Dorian Bay and Gentoo Penguins
Antarctic Peninsula - Wiencke Island - Dorian Bay.
This is a short post for my excursion this morning (10 Feb 2011). The ship is moored in Dorian Bay, a cover on the NW side of Wiencke Island, which is located in teh Palmer Archipelago. First we took a zodiac tour of part of the bay and saw some awesome icebergs (one looked just like an iguana/lizard). After puttering on our zodiac we made our way to the landing site, which was slick and rocky. Weather conditions - freezing rain - made3 the landing this am a bit trickier than usual, but thanks to non-slip pads, everyone made it on and off land just fine.
On land there is a Gentoo Penguin Colony. I got some great shots of the gentoos (bigger than chinstraps, white earmuffs). Unfortunately, this is not the year of the Gentoo. Gentoos have been doing really well over the last 20 years as the water and land around here have warmed. Normally, Antarctica doesn't get much precipation, it's an ice desert. However, the naturalist told me that there was a lot of snow this year (unusual) so the Gentoos couldn't make their nests until late. What I saw today was the result of that; a lot of baby penguins shivering in the cold freezing rain without their coats to survive, many of whom will not survive once fall arrives here shortly. A lot of the baby penguins were abandoned. Some were being well tended to by both parents. One sitting on top of the two chicks and one running off and gathering food or rocks to build a better nest. I got some great shots of this. Sadly, I also saw quite a few broken eggs laying around and some dead baby penguins. The healthier ones that I saw should survive. There was one woman on my zodiac trip back to the ship who kept on asking couldn't anything be done to save them? Basically, no. Gentoos only care for their own children and won't tend to others.
Another interesting thing I noticed was that the distance between two nests in generally no longer than the distance between respective mothers/fathers beaks. They poke at each other, but no one can harm the others children.
Iguana Iceberg:
Gentoo Penguins:
This is a short post for my excursion this morning (10 Feb 2011). The ship is moored in Dorian Bay, a cover on the NW side of Wiencke Island, which is located in teh Palmer Archipelago. First we took a zodiac tour of part of the bay and saw some awesome icebergs (one looked just like an iguana/lizard). After puttering on our zodiac we made our way to the landing site, which was slick and rocky. Weather conditions - freezing rain - made3 the landing this am a bit trickier than usual, but thanks to non-slip pads, everyone made it on and off land just fine.
On land there is a Gentoo Penguin Colony. I got some great shots of the gentoos (bigger than chinstraps, white earmuffs). Unfortunately, this is not the year of the Gentoo. Gentoos have been doing really well over the last 20 years as the water and land around here have warmed. Normally, Antarctica doesn't get much precipation, it's an ice desert. However, the naturalist told me that there was a lot of snow this year (unusual) so the Gentoos couldn't make their nests until late. What I saw today was the result of that; a lot of baby penguins shivering in the cold freezing rain without their coats to survive, many of whom will not survive once fall arrives here shortly. A lot of the baby penguins were abandoned. Some were being well tended to by both parents. One sitting on top of the two chicks and one running off and gathering food or rocks to build a better nest. I got some great shots of this. Sadly, I also saw quite a few broken eggs laying around and some dead baby penguins. The healthier ones that I saw should survive. There was one woman on my zodiac trip back to the ship who kept on asking couldn't anything be done to save them? Basically, no. Gentoos only care for their own children and won't tend to others.
Another interesting thing I noticed was that the distance between two nests in generally no longer than the distance between respective mothers/fathers beaks. They poke at each other, but no one can harm the others children.
Iguana Iceberg:
Gentoo Penguins:
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