Christmas Eve 2002
Summer has just begun here in the southern latitudes and we made the most of the balmy weather. Our first landing of the day was in St. Andrew’s Bay, home to the largest king penguin rookery on South Georgia. From our landing spot near the outflow of a glacial stream we walked the stony beach pausing to photograph lounging elephant seals. They took little notice of our presence, responding with only a momentary wide-eyed glance or an upraised head. While we’d already seen an impressive colony of king penguins with upwards of 50,000 birds we were unprepared for the spectacle we encountered here. The blended patterns of their distinctive coloring stretched to the horizon in a living, feathered carpet formed by perhaps half a million individuals. The concentration of so much life in just a few acres of space is difficult to comprehend or convey. The chicks, still in their wooly brown coats, made a high pitched plaintive call for more food while the adult call was more like a clarinet with two reeds. The symphony of their combined vocalizations added impact to the senses.
An afternoon landing at Godhul provided another opportunity to stretch our legs. Fur seals greeted our arrival and we were careful to respect their established real estate as we climbed through the tussock grass to reach higher ground. We discovered nesting skuas and a number of Gentoo Penguins with fat fluffy chicks. On the far side of a glacial lake a parade of reindeer were making their way uphill, pausing to graze as they went. While they seemed in no hurry we surmised they must surely have an appointment this evening!
Summer has just begun here in the southern latitudes and we made the most of the balmy weather. Our first landing of the day was in St. Andrew’s Bay, home to the largest king penguin rookery on South Georgia. From our landing spot near the outflow of a glacial stream we walked the stony beach pausing to photograph lounging elephant seals. They took little notice of our presence, responding with only a momentary wide-eyed glance or an upraised head. While we’d already seen an impressive colony of king penguins with upwards of 50,000 birds we were unprepared for the spectacle we encountered here. The blended patterns of their distinctive coloring stretched to the horizon in a living, feathered carpet formed by perhaps half a million individuals. The concentration of so much life in just a few acres of space is difficult to comprehend or convey. The chicks, still in their wooly brown coats, made a high pitched plaintive call for more food while the adult call was more like a clarinet with two reeds. The symphony of their combined vocalizations added impact to the senses.
An afternoon landing at Godhul provided another opportunity to stretch our legs. Fur seals greeted our arrival and we were careful to respect their established real estate as we climbed through the tussock grass to reach higher ground. We discovered nesting skuas and a number of Gentoo Penguins with fat fluffy chicks. On the far side of a glacial lake a parade of reindeer were making their way uphill, pausing to graze as they went. While they seemed in no hurry we surmised they must surely have an appointment this evening!
