Thursday, December 15, 2022

2022 Antarctica: Antarctic Peninsula, Danger Islands (12/15/2022)

Thursday, December 15, 2022
Temperature 5oC/41oF.
Conditions were right for us to have a Zodiac landing in the Danger Islands, home to perhaps the largest colony of Pygoscelis adeliae/Adélie penguins in the world, with a population of 1,500,000.
Approaching Danger Islands at the tip of the
Antarctic Peninsula; the islands are often surrounded
by heavy fragments of ice and cannot be accessed
Some of the "heavy ice fragments"/icebergs
A Zodiac manuevers between smaller ice floes
Adélie penguins are spread right up the
mountainside on Heroina Island where we landed (KSS)
An Adélie penguin sits on two eggs, which incubate in
32-34 days, and the chicks fledge after about two months
Checking on the pair of eggs (by Coorsen)
Adélie penguins create nests with small stones
on ground free of snow
We see another exposed egg
The site of the penguin ingress and egress
to the sea (by unknown)
Hmm, this fellow looks like he is ready to moult
Adélie penguins are found only in Antarctica (KSS)
Kent & Tamiko on Heroina Island
Adélie penguins on the go

Stercorarius antarcticus/Antarctic or Brown Skua
Leptonychotes weddellii/Weddell Seal is
one of a species found only in the Antarctic
Now we go on the Zodiac cruise portion of the excursion.
Iceberg
Another Weddell seal
A pair of Chionis albus/Snowy Sheathbills, the only
native land bird (i.e., no webbed feet) in the Antarctic
Kent on the Zodiac, with a Weddell seal behind him
An ice floe is carved through water erosion below the
waterline until enough has melted away to cause the
whole thing to flip, raising the carved section above the water
The other side of the same iceberg,
with light shining through a thinner area
Adélie penguins prefer to moult when standing on icebergs;
a decrease in sea ice is causing a decrease in their population
After the Zodiac excursion, all the boats must be lifted
by crane back onto the ship
View from our cabin window of Danger Islands
We had an afternoon presentation: Swedish Antarctic Expedition: Otto Nordenskjold (by Argentinian historian Federico Gargiulo).
The afternoon Zodiac excursion at Brown Bluff was cancelled due to rough seas (winds at 45-60 knots/52-70 mph).
Brown Bluff on the Antarctic Sound
Afternoon clouds (KSS)
Fading rainbow (KSS)
Of course, Charlie Wu captured the full rainbow!
Bar Talk: Kris, the Aquatic Sea Mammal (by Kristoffer Korol, a Canadian Expedition Guide, talking about his underwater experiences).
Next: Mikkelsen Harbour.

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