Coronation Island, The South Orkneys
There’s more than one way to snag your krill! We left Elephant Island yesterday for a smooth and rapid crossing to the South Orkneys (so named because they lie at the same latitude South as the Orkneys are North of the Equator.) Our afternoon landing – another new one for the Endeavour was at Amphibolite Point (it takes its name from a mineral that is found there) on Coronation Island. Here we found a colony of chinstrap penguins. (Actually, some weeks ago it contained both chinstraps and Adelies, but the Adelies have finished for the year and departed.) There, the scene depicted above was played out. An adult chinstrap penguin was preparing to feed its young, with back still covered by juvenile down. In the background lurked a snowy sheathbill, seemingly oblivious to the domestic activities of the chinstraps. Just as the food transfer was underway the sheathbill leapt up and flew into the penguins, disrupting the transfer of krill from parent to juvenile. The krill fell to the ground, where it was gobbled up by ... guess who? ... the snowy sheathbill. Thus krill makes its way through the food chains of the Antarctic.
There’s more than one way to snag your krill! We left Elephant Island yesterday for a smooth and rapid crossing to the South Orkneys (so named because they lie at the same latitude South as the Orkneys are North of the Equator.) Our afternoon landing – another new one for the Endeavour was at Amphibolite Point (it takes its name from a mineral that is found there) on Coronation Island. Here we found a colony of chinstrap penguins. (Actually, some weeks ago it contained both chinstraps and Adelies, but the Adelies have finished for the year and departed.) There, the scene depicted above was played out. An adult chinstrap penguin was preparing to feed its young, with back still covered by juvenile down. In the background lurked a snowy sheathbill, seemingly oblivious to the domestic activities of the chinstraps. Just as the food transfer was underway the sheathbill leapt up and flew into the penguins, disrupting the transfer of krill from parent to juvenile. The krill fell to the ground, where it was gobbled up by ... guess who? ... the snowy sheathbill. Thus krill makes its way through the food chains of the Antarctic.
