Drake Passage and Points South
Ship’s position at 12 noon: 62° 05.3’ Latitude South, 67°52.8’ Longitude West
Today marked another full day at sea as we continued on a southerly bearing that brought us across the Antarctic convergence and west of the South Shetland Islands. The ocean swells diminished as the day lengthened and we spent many hours out in the pleasantly warm air on the stern deck, looking for various species of seabirds. The several species of albatross that persistently occupied our wake were our favorites, so much easier to view than the tiny Wilson’s storm petrels (a.k.a. Mother Carey’s Chickens). Black-browed and gray-headed albatross were among the favorites but it was the majestic wandering albatross that garnered the most acclaim. A bird with an eleven-foot wingspan perched on the horizon like a giant white cross one moment and then turning and gliding effortlessly between the waves, is sure to catch your eye.
Here we see two wandering albatross representing two different age classes. Both show a diagnostic yellowish smudge on the neck behind the eye. The older bird has white extending out to the leading edge of the wing while on the younger bird the white is still growing out from near the wing’s center. We also believe we enjoyed the company of at least one royal albatross today, similar in size and overall appearance to the wandering albatross but differing in some details of the plumage.
Lectures by the natural history staff included more information on seabirds of this type as well as that most lovable of all seabirds, the penguin. In fact, by dinnertime we had seen groups of penguins swimming in the ocean and also had a brief encounter with four small whales that left us as abruptly as they appeared. We continue on the through the foggy night, eager to arrive south of the Antarctic Circle in the morning and see our first bit of ice-bound Antarctica.
Ship’s position at 12 noon: 62° 05.3’ Latitude South, 67°52.8’ Longitude West
Today marked another full day at sea as we continued on a southerly bearing that brought us across the Antarctic convergence and west of the South Shetland Islands. The ocean swells diminished as the day lengthened and we spent many hours out in the pleasantly warm air on the stern deck, looking for various species of seabirds. The several species of albatross that persistently occupied our wake were our favorites, so much easier to view than the tiny Wilson’s storm petrels (a.k.a. Mother Carey’s Chickens). Black-browed and gray-headed albatross were among the favorites but it was the majestic wandering albatross that garnered the most acclaim. A bird with an eleven-foot wingspan perched on the horizon like a giant white cross one moment and then turning and gliding effortlessly between the waves, is sure to catch your eye.
Here we see two wandering albatross representing two different age classes. Both show a diagnostic yellowish smudge on the neck behind the eye. The older bird has white extending out to the leading edge of the wing while on the younger bird the white is still growing out from near the wing’s center. We also believe we enjoyed the company of at least one royal albatross today, similar in size and overall appearance to the wandering albatross but differing in some details of the plumage.
Lectures by the natural history staff included more information on seabirds of this type as well as that most lovable of all seabirds, the penguin. In fact, by dinnertime we had seen groups of penguins swimming in the ocean and also had a brief encounter with four small whales that left us as abruptly as they appeared. We continue on the through the foggy night, eager to arrive south of the Antarctic Circle in the morning and see our first bit of ice-bound Antarctica.
