Paulet Island, Antarctic Sound & the Weddell Sea
An Emperor in pajamas. That was not the attire of the young Emperor penguin we viewed this morning as it relaxed, perhaps even snoozed, on its ice floe. This was our attire secreted under our red parkas and quickly stuffed into our rubber boots. With our wake up announcement we were urged to come out on deck as quickly as possible as the holy grail of all penguin sightings was now in front of us. It did all the lovely penguin-esque things you could ever hope for. It sat still. It stood up. It called out. It, ahem, relieved itself. As our Captain skillfully maneuvered around it, the Emperor relaxed and retreated to its previous reclined position.
"Iceberg alley" is the nickname for the portion of Antarctic Sound we navigated and it was obvious as to how it earned the moniker. Contemplating a landing at Paulet Island, it was thought better with the plethora of bergs and floes in the vicinity to Zodiac cruise instead. We floated between, amongst and around lumpy ice floes and ice bergs adorned with Adélie penguin ornaments. Nearing Paulet Island we could see hundreds upon hundreds of brown downy chicks dotting the great pink-patch stained hillsides. A few black and white adult penguins were interspersed amongst the chicks. From our Zodiac vantage point, we could see feeding chases on shore as adults returned from the sea and were put to the task of finding their own chick. With the ensuing chase the proper chick would ultimately be identified and benefit from a healthy meal of freshly regurgitated krill.
The texture of the hillside as well as its color changed on a more exposed and steeper slope. There were Antarctic cormorants, or blue-eyed shags, two names for the same bird, nesting in their own congregation. They too had fluffy brown chicks, however these youngsters were perched upon kelp and guano glued pedestal-shaped nests. We observed some of the adult shags bathing in the water near our Zodiac's and that's when we discovered the caruncles. If you look at one of these breeding birds in the face, you can't help but notice a knobby protrusion on the top of the beak, just below the eyes. It looks like a congregation of pickle bumps that have turned yellow-orange; perhaps it is this splash of color that makes a cormorant mate look all the more alluring, it certainly caught our eye.
After lunch, the top of the food chain represented itself as a steaming line of fins slicing through the water and the mist of blows marking the place of individuals as they surfaced for breath. Killer whales! As we followed in their wake it quickly became apparent that these animals were on a mission and were completely oblivious to us they continued to swim away at a steady pace.
On such a fine summer afternoon there was only one thing left to do. Find a suitable place to launch our kayaks, and that is exactly what we did. Dipping paddles into the frazzle ice coated waters of the Weddell Sea; we explored the ice floe edges. A few Adelie penguins watched as we floated by as well as a Weddell seal, who cast a glance of mild interest towards our colorful inflatable fleet.
After such a full day it was time to climb back into our pajamas, rest our heads on downy pillows, close our sun burnt eyes and dream of Emperor penguins, whimsically shaped icebergs and the many other great riches we experienced this magical day in Antarctica.
An Emperor in pajamas. That was not the attire of the young Emperor penguin we viewed this morning as it relaxed, perhaps even snoozed, on its ice floe. This was our attire secreted under our red parkas and quickly stuffed into our rubber boots. With our wake up announcement we were urged to come out on deck as quickly as possible as the holy grail of all penguin sightings was now in front of us. It did all the lovely penguin-esque things you could ever hope for. It sat still. It stood up. It called out. It, ahem, relieved itself. As our Captain skillfully maneuvered around it, the Emperor relaxed and retreated to its previous reclined position.
"Iceberg alley" is the nickname for the portion of Antarctic Sound we navigated and it was obvious as to how it earned the moniker. Contemplating a landing at Paulet Island, it was thought better with the plethora of bergs and floes in the vicinity to Zodiac cruise instead. We floated between, amongst and around lumpy ice floes and ice bergs adorned with Adélie penguin ornaments. Nearing Paulet Island we could see hundreds upon hundreds of brown downy chicks dotting the great pink-patch stained hillsides. A few black and white adult penguins were interspersed amongst the chicks. From our Zodiac vantage point, we could see feeding chases on shore as adults returned from the sea and were put to the task of finding their own chick. With the ensuing chase the proper chick would ultimately be identified and benefit from a healthy meal of freshly regurgitated krill.
The texture of the hillside as well as its color changed on a more exposed and steeper slope. There were Antarctic cormorants, or blue-eyed shags, two names for the same bird, nesting in their own congregation. They too had fluffy brown chicks, however these youngsters were perched upon kelp and guano glued pedestal-shaped nests. We observed some of the adult shags bathing in the water near our Zodiac's and that's when we discovered the caruncles. If you look at one of these breeding birds in the face, you can't help but notice a knobby protrusion on the top of the beak, just below the eyes. It looks like a congregation of pickle bumps that have turned yellow-orange; perhaps it is this splash of color that makes a cormorant mate look all the more alluring, it certainly caught our eye.
After lunch, the top of the food chain represented itself as a steaming line of fins slicing through the water and the mist of blows marking the place of individuals as they surfaced for breath. Killer whales! As we followed in their wake it quickly became apparent that these animals were on a mission and were completely oblivious to us they continued to swim away at a steady pace.
On such a fine summer afternoon there was only one thing left to do. Find a suitable place to launch our kayaks, and that is exactly what we did. Dipping paddles into the frazzle ice coated waters of the Weddell Sea; we explored the ice floe edges. A few Adelie penguins watched as we floated by as well as a Weddell seal, who cast a glance of mild interest towards our colorful inflatable fleet.
After such a full day it was time to climb back into our pajamas, rest our heads on downy pillows, close our sun burnt eyes and dream of Emperor penguins, whimsically shaped icebergs and the many other great riches we experienced this magical day in Antarctica.
