Our second day crossing the Drake Passage was uneventful as the weather was behind us as we approached the outer islands of the Antarctic Peninsula. The South Shetland Islands are a group of volcanic islets that developed over the past couple of million years. We would attempt a landing on one of the smallest; Aitcho Island, also called Barrientos Island. Aitcho is a corruption of “H.O.” which stood for the Hydrographic Office or weather service of many years ago.
Barrientos Island is home to two of the three brushtail penguins, the gentoo and the chinstrap. The gentoo is the third largest penguin and the chinstrap is fairly close in size. They are both nearing the end of their perspective breeding cycles. The chicks of both species are about ready to fledge and enter the ocean for the first time and venture away from land for a few years before returning to start breeding themselves. The adults are going to do the exact opposite and begin their molting process during which they stay on land for another three weeks as they grow an entire set of new feathers in place of the older ones. Once on shore we could see the chicks and adults going about their business. This time of year the snow has melted and it has been replaced by a combination of feathers and “mud”. The penguins are not always clean but they are always entertaining.
