St. Andrews Bay, South Georgia Island
Picture title: “Walk fast ... keep your eyes straight ahead ... maybe he won’t notice!” Or ... “Beauty and the Beast.” Early this morning we stopped by the former whaling station and now major British base at Grytviken (“Caldron Bay”) to pick up some over-wintering residents of South Georgia for a day’s excursion, and then continued on to Saint Andrews Bay for our first landing. Conditions could hardly have been better for a beach landing and stroll amongst some of the locals. Two are shown here: the regal king penguin and the handsome elephant seal. More about king penguins later. The elephant seals are nearing the end of their annual breeding activities. Earlier the males came ashore, and the larger males battled fiercely for the rights to a section of beach and all of the females that could be contained there. Pregnant females then came ashore, gave birth to their single large pup, and were quickly impregnated again by the dominant male “beachmaster”. Content with a successful breeding season, this male dozes peacefully, no threat to the passing penguin, raising his huge head every few minutes to be sure that no other large males are attempting to invade his hard-earned section of beach.
Southern elephant seals, the largest of all the pinnipeds (seals, seal lions, and walrus) are now abundant on South Georgia. It was not always so. Lacking any land predators they are without fear and were easily approached and killed by 19th century sealers, their blubber rendered into oil to fuel the lamps of Europe and North America. In the 20th century, as the whales around South Georgia were hunted down, elephant seal oil was used to top off the annual shipments of oil and once again the numbers fell. Fortunately, they have recovered from the brink of extinction to once more occupy the beaches of this remote, fascinating island.
Picture title: “Walk fast ... keep your eyes straight ahead ... maybe he won’t notice!” Or ... “Beauty and the Beast.” Early this morning we stopped by the former whaling station and now major British base at Grytviken (“Caldron Bay”) to pick up some over-wintering residents of South Georgia for a day’s excursion, and then continued on to Saint Andrews Bay for our first landing. Conditions could hardly have been better for a beach landing and stroll amongst some of the locals. Two are shown here: the regal king penguin and the handsome elephant seal. More about king penguins later. The elephant seals are nearing the end of their annual breeding activities. Earlier the males came ashore, and the larger males battled fiercely for the rights to a section of beach and all of the females that could be contained there. Pregnant females then came ashore, gave birth to their single large pup, and were quickly impregnated again by the dominant male “beachmaster”. Content with a successful breeding season, this male dozes peacefully, no threat to the passing penguin, raising his huge head every few minutes to be sure that no other large males are attempting to invade his hard-earned section of beach.
Southern elephant seals, the largest of all the pinnipeds (seals, seal lions, and walrus) are now abundant on South Georgia. It was not always so. Lacking any land predators they are without fear and were easily approached and killed by 19th century sealers, their blubber rendered into oil to fuel the lamps of Europe and North America. In the 20th century, as the whales around South Georgia were hunted down, elephant seal oil was used to top off the annual shipments of oil and once again the numbers fell. Fortunately, they have recovered from the brink of extinction to once more occupy the beaches of this remote, fascinating island.
