Nightingale & Inaccessible Island, Tristan da Cunha
Today we landed at Nightingale and Inaccessible Island!
For those who know this isolated outpost in the rugged South Atlantic, I guess this reads, fantastic, spectacular, amazing and unique. For someone not familiar with these islands, clarification may be needed.
Why are these islands so special? The Tristan da Cunha group of islands is located on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, more or less between the southern tip of Africa and South America. As they are positioned in the middle of the ocean, along the Atlantic Ridge, they are also known to be extremely isolated and hostile for any landing operations, as they do not offer any shelter for the always existing swell.
People living at the only settlement (260+ souls) on the main island at Edinburgh on the Seven Seas, have since the early 19th century seen many ships approach and soon depart again because of the hardship to land. These islands are of volcanic origin with steep cliff walls. Very few places offer any landing opportunities. We had great luck with weather and swell yesterday as we were able to land on the main island, Tristan da Cunha. Today our goal was to at least make a Zodiac cruise to one of the islands.
Early this morning we were joined by a group of Tristanians to be our guides for the day. We set off for Nightingale Island, located about 20 nautical miles from the main island. What is the population on Nightingale Island? Several million sea birds, mainly greater shearwaters and broad-billed prions; they use this rugged outpost in the South Atlantic as their breeding site.
As we approached Nightingale Island, huge rafts of greater shearwaters were resting off the island. Our expedition leader Tom Ritchie was able to read the swell hitting the rocky shoreline and from the bridge our local guides agreed this was a unique landing opportunity on this usually very inaccessible island. Landing conditions were exceptionally good and soon we had the fleet of Zodiac boats heading for the rocky and steep shoreline.
A landing even in these exceptionally calm conditions is a major challenge here, but with helping hands of the locals we got everybody ashore. At the landing site we were greeted by a bunch of Rastafarian-looking northern rockhopper penguins, a reason for some to come on this long voyage, to complete the list of all the world penguin species. This species (or subspecies) only breed on a few of the most northern Sub-Antarctic islands and Tristan da Cunha is by far the most northern location. It is also one of the hardest species to get to since all breeding islands are far from everything and very rarely offer any ships landing opportunities.
We are also almost on the edge of sub-Antarctic waters and in late summer Tristan da Cunha is in fact in the sub-tropical region. Breeding Common Noddies on the cliff face confirm this as water temperature is about 19oC. At the landing site we also saw playful sub-Antarctic fur seals and two endemic passerine birds: Tristan Thrush and the Nightingale Bunting. Those of us walking up the trail and through the 2 meter high tussock grass were soon surrounded by greater shearwaters and bulky fat chicks of yellow-nosed albatrosses. The estimate of breeding numbers of Greater Shearwater on Nightingale and Inaccessible Islands all together are about 4 million pairs!
Along the trail we were also able to see they are not alone, as feeding posts with piles of bird wings made by Tristan Great Skuas were plentiful. Every night through the breeding season perhaps millions of broad-billed prions and white-bellied storm-petrels come into their burrows and the skuas enjoy an evening feast. Above our heads as we walked along the trail in tall tussock grass swarms of birds were soaring. Standing out in the crowds of birds flying overhead, the calls of display flying sooty albatrosses echoed between the rock walls. Nightingale Islands is still one of few islands in the world not pounded by humans and still being rat and cat free. This island shows what many of the now devastated islands were like before the white man sailed the ocean.
On our way we also made a brief Zodiac cruise through the dense kelp beds. Our bos’un Willy had just put the newest boat in the LEX fleet in the water, a glass bottom Zodiac. Her maiden voyage was a full success and will be fully appreciated on future National Geographic Explorer voyages.
During lunch the captain repositioned the ship to Inaccessible Island. The name of the island, does tell a lot! Sheer cliff walls rise to 300 meters out of the ocean, making this island really inaccessible. On the Northeastern side you find two narrow beaches, but they are usually exposed to the prevailing wind and swell, only if conditions are perfect can this be a landing site. As we approached, the seas were cluttered by rafts of shearwaters, large numbers of yellow-nosed albatrosses and speckled petrels. From the bridge, we were able to see the opportunity come…This was the day.
The locals told us that during 2008 not a single landing was made, and of course they also were eager to get ashore. With rapid speed Zodiacs launched, Inaccessible Island became accessible for a few hours! A treat which can take many years to repeat! Of course, the aim for any birder is to find the smallest flightless bird in the world and it only breeds on this small outpost, the endemic Inaccessible Island Flightless Rail. As like any rail, it is a very elusive bird and only the very first people ashore got a brief view. It looks more or less like a small rat as it runs below the high tussock grass.
The beach we strolled along had plenty of sub-Antarctic fur seals, northern rockhopper penguins, again Tristan Thrush and the Lowland Bunting. On our way back, Zodiacs took us down towards the other potential landing beach to watch the huge water fall. As the ship was pulling out from our anchor site off Inaccessible Island, the wind picked up and at about 1800 we were back off to Edinburgh of the Seven Seas to drop off the team of locals. Grey clouds were now rapidly building up above the settlement, the wind picked up and it was time for us to set sail eastward. Now we set a course of 083o to Cape Town, only 1,505 nautical miles away. For sure, Tristan da Cunha is far from everything and you have to be extremely lucky to be able to make it ashore. We landed on all three islands, something very hard to achieve any time!
Today we landed at Nightingale and Inaccessible Island!
For those who know this isolated outpost in the rugged South Atlantic, I guess this reads, fantastic, spectacular, amazing and unique. For someone not familiar with these islands, clarification may be needed.
Why are these islands so special? The Tristan da Cunha group of islands is located on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, more or less between the southern tip of Africa and South America. As they are positioned in the middle of the ocean, along the Atlantic Ridge, they are also known to be extremely isolated and hostile for any landing operations, as they do not offer any shelter for the always existing swell.
People living at the only settlement (260+ souls) on the main island at Edinburgh on the Seven Seas, have since the early 19th century seen many ships approach and soon depart again because of the hardship to land. These islands are of volcanic origin with steep cliff walls. Very few places offer any landing opportunities. We had great luck with weather and swell yesterday as we were able to land on the main island, Tristan da Cunha. Today our goal was to at least make a Zodiac cruise to one of the islands.
Early this morning we were joined by a group of Tristanians to be our guides for the day. We set off for Nightingale Island, located about 20 nautical miles from the main island. What is the population on Nightingale Island? Several million sea birds, mainly greater shearwaters and broad-billed prions; they use this rugged outpost in the South Atlantic as their breeding site.
As we approached Nightingale Island, huge rafts of greater shearwaters were resting off the island. Our expedition leader Tom Ritchie was able to read the swell hitting the rocky shoreline and from the bridge our local guides agreed this was a unique landing opportunity on this usually very inaccessible island. Landing conditions were exceptionally good and soon we had the fleet of Zodiac boats heading for the rocky and steep shoreline.
A landing even in these exceptionally calm conditions is a major challenge here, but with helping hands of the locals we got everybody ashore. At the landing site we were greeted by a bunch of Rastafarian-looking northern rockhopper penguins, a reason for some to come on this long voyage, to complete the list of all the world penguin species. This species (or subspecies) only breed on a few of the most northern Sub-Antarctic islands and Tristan da Cunha is by far the most northern location. It is also one of the hardest species to get to since all breeding islands are far from everything and very rarely offer any ships landing opportunities.
We are also almost on the edge of sub-Antarctic waters and in late summer Tristan da Cunha is in fact in the sub-tropical region. Breeding Common Noddies on the cliff face confirm this as water temperature is about 19oC. At the landing site we also saw playful sub-Antarctic fur seals and two endemic passerine birds: Tristan Thrush and the Nightingale Bunting. Those of us walking up the trail and through the 2 meter high tussock grass were soon surrounded by greater shearwaters and bulky fat chicks of yellow-nosed albatrosses. The estimate of breeding numbers of Greater Shearwater on Nightingale and Inaccessible Islands all together are about 4 million pairs!
Along the trail we were also able to see they are not alone, as feeding posts with piles of bird wings made by Tristan Great Skuas were plentiful. Every night through the breeding season perhaps millions of broad-billed prions and white-bellied storm-petrels come into their burrows and the skuas enjoy an evening feast. Above our heads as we walked along the trail in tall tussock grass swarms of birds were soaring. Standing out in the crowds of birds flying overhead, the calls of display flying sooty albatrosses echoed between the rock walls. Nightingale Islands is still one of few islands in the world not pounded by humans and still being rat and cat free. This island shows what many of the now devastated islands were like before the white man sailed the ocean.
On our way we also made a brief Zodiac cruise through the dense kelp beds. Our bos’un Willy had just put the newest boat in the LEX fleet in the water, a glass bottom Zodiac. Her maiden voyage was a full success and will be fully appreciated on future National Geographic Explorer voyages.
During lunch the captain repositioned the ship to Inaccessible Island. The name of the island, does tell a lot! Sheer cliff walls rise to 300 meters out of the ocean, making this island really inaccessible. On the Northeastern side you find two narrow beaches, but they are usually exposed to the prevailing wind and swell, only if conditions are perfect can this be a landing site. As we approached, the seas were cluttered by rafts of shearwaters, large numbers of yellow-nosed albatrosses and speckled petrels. From the bridge, we were able to see the opportunity come…This was the day.
The locals told us that during 2008 not a single landing was made, and of course they also were eager to get ashore. With rapid speed Zodiacs launched, Inaccessible Island became accessible for a few hours! A treat which can take many years to repeat! Of course, the aim for any birder is to find the smallest flightless bird in the world and it only breeds on this small outpost, the endemic Inaccessible Island Flightless Rail. As like any rail, it is a very elusive bird and only the very first people ashore got a brief view. It looks more or less like a small rat as it runs below the high tussock grass.
The beach we strolled along had plenty of sub-Antarctic fur seals, northern rockhopper penguins, again Tristan Thrush and the Lowland Bunting. On our way back, Zodiacs took us down towards the other potential landing beach to watch the huge water fall. As the ship was pulling out from our anchor site off Inaccessible Island, the wind picked up and at about 1800 we were back off to Edinburgh of the Seven Seas to drop off the team of locals. Grey clouds were now rapidly building up above the settlement, the wind picked up and it was time for us to set sail eastward. Now we set a course of 083o to Cape Town, only 1,505 nautical miles away. For sure, Tristan da Cunha is far from everything and you have to be extremely lucky to be able to make it ashore. We landed on all three islands, something very hard to achieve any time!
