Antarctic Adventure #12 - Gold Harbour, South Georgia
By Susan Ellis of Key Life Journeys
It did not take us long to reposition the M/V Polar Star for our second landing on South Georgia, at Gold Harbour. We had sailed through mist and light rain and the cliffs were shrouded obscuring the view. But there was a sense that there were peaks and cliffs and hanging glaciers above a long sandy beach.
We had received much instruction on how to behave around the wildlife, including the distance we must keep from them. However we could remain should they approach us. Of course this was something we chose not to do with approaching fur seals with sharp visible teeth. Had an Elephant seal approached me I know for sure I would have made a hasty retreat. The moment I stepped out of the zodiac there was an overwhelming bombardment of stimuli – sights sounds and smells.
Where to begin? Perhaps with the Southern Elephant Seals basking and molting on the beach. When they had first come ashore for the breeding season 8,000lb bulls create a harem of perhaps 70 females (cows) each weighing a mere 880-1,980lbs. Should another suitor make noises at the edge of his harem, the bull will lunge at great speed to defend his territory. In so doing he might crush females and pups in his path. But now all pups had grown, the bulls with their long trembling noses had left and penguins walked unperturbed by these massive beasts sleeping on the shore. Some had eyes open surveying the scene; others occasionally raising their massive heads to yarn. I did not venture too close!!
The noisy fur seal pups were all around but somehow they were losing their novelty and were just tiring accompaniers on our journey. The main attraction now was the stately King penguin. Even those who were molting, standing still, were regal. They stood tall, graceful and their body language could be humanized. I could say that by the way they walked they knew they were beautiful. They have long necks and a yellow/orange stripe from throat to behind the eye. Each stood 2-2.75ft tall. To make their call they stretched the neck and shoot their beak, complete with an orange stripe, to the sky and called their distinctive call.
The mists rose and fell like a curtain on an unfolding drama. Hills were exposed and then disappeared; a river, a rainbow, the thunder of crashing ice from an invisible hanging glacier; the honking of 25,000 pairs of breeding King penguins. The high-pitched call of chicks and distracting Skuas and Snowy Sheathbills. These scavenger birds waiting for dislodged eggs or wandering chicks in order to pounce and feed.
I walked the beach capturing moments of beauty in all directions. King penguins molt before breeding. Those who begin the process early in the season will have the opportunity to breed twice. However winter will come long before the second chick will be independent enough to survive. Like the larger Emperor penguins, the King penguin’s egg will incubate on the parent’s feet. Part of me grieved with the knowledge that all the eggs now resting on penguin feet in March, would die. But part of me marveled at the instinctual drama unfolding. Emperor penguins as filmed in the movie March of the Penguins lay their eggs in winter on sea ice. The King Penguins lay their eggs in spring/summer on land close to the ocean, the source of their food supply.
I was humbled to be in their midst. I walked that sandy beach in awe of all I witnessed. Kings walked up to me, so dapper, so proud. They moved on. A fur seal pup would approach some penguins. The penguins flapped their wings in the face of the seals and kept walking.
A river ran down from the verdant hills providing fresh drinking water for the birds and a place for those molting to stand. While molting, penguins cannot swim and must fast until the molt is over. Gentoo penguins shared these breeding grounds, small and pudgy compared to their sleek slim companions.
I walked back along the beach to where Zodiacs waited to whisk me back to the ship. I took a closer look at the now docile molting Southern Elephant Seals. Fur seals started to look more cute in their midst!!
As instructed, that night we ensured all windows were draped so that no light would attract birds that might inadvertently hit solid objects. No gale force winds rocked our ship that night and my dreams were of magical scenes.
It did not take us long to reposition the M/V Polar Star for our second landing on South Georgia, at Gold Harbour. We had sailed through mist and light rain and the cliffs were shrouded obscuring the view. But there was a sense that there were peaks and cliffs and hanging glaciers above a long sandy beach.
We had received much instruction on how to behave around the wildlife, including the distance we must keep from them. However we could remain should they approach us. Of course this was something we chose not to do with approaching fur seals with sharp visible teeth. Had an Elephant seal approached me I know for sure I would have made a hasty retreat. The moment I stepped out of the zodiac there was an overwhelming bombardment of stimuli – sights sounds and smells.
Where to begin? Perhaps with the Southern Elephant Seals basking and molting on the beach. When they had first come ashore for the breeding season 8,000lb bulls create a harem of perhaps 70 females (cows) each weighing a mere 880-1,980lbs. Should another suitor make noises at the edge of his harem, the bull will lunge at great speed to defend his territory. In so doing he might crush females and pups in his path. But now all pups had grown, the bulls with their long trembling noses had left and penguins walked unperturbed by these massive beasts sleeping on the shore. Some had eyes open surveying the scene; others occasionally raising their massive heads to yarn. I did not venture too close!!
The noisy fur seal pups were all around but somehow they were losing their novelty and were just tiring accompaniers on our journey. The main attraction now was the stately King penguin. Even those who were molting, standing still, were regal. They stood tall, graceful and their body language could be humanized. I could say that by the way they walked they knew they were beautiful. They have long necks and a yellow/orange stripe from throat to behind the eye. Each stood 2-2.75ft tall. To make their call they stretched the neck and shoot their beak, complete with an orange stripe, to the sky and called their distinctive call.
The mists rose and fell like a curtain on an unfolding drama. Hills were exposed and then disappeared; a river, a rainbow, the thunder of crashing ice from an invisible hanging glacier; the honking of 25,000 pairs of breeding King penguins. The high-pitched call of chicks and distracting Skuas and Snowy Sheathbills. These scavenger birds waiting for dislodged eggs or wandering chicks in order to pounce and feed.
I walked the beach capturing moments of beauty in all directions. King penguins molt before breeding. Those who begin the process early in the season will have the opportunity to breed twice. However winter will come long before the second chick will be independent enough to survive. Like the larger Emperor penguins, the King penguin’s egg will incubate on the parent’s feet. Part of me grieved with the knowledge that all the eggs now resting on penguin feet in March, would die. But part of me marveled at the instinctual drama unfolding. Emperor penguins as filmed in the movie March of the Penguins lay their eggs in winter on sea ice. The King Penguins lay their eggs in spring/summer on land close to the ocean, the source of their food supply.
I was humbled to be in their midst. I walked that sandy beach in awe of all I witnessed. Kings walked up to me, so dapper, so proud. They moved on. A fur seal pup would approach some penguins. The penguins flapped their wings in the face of the seals and kept walking.
A river ran down from the verdant hills providing fresh drinking water for the birds and a place for those molting to stand. While molting, penguins cannot swim and must fast until the molt is over. Gentoo penguins shared these breeding grounds, small and pudgy compared to their sleek slim companions.
I walked back along the beach to where Zodiacs waited to whisk me back to the ship. I took a closer look at the now docile molting Southern Elephant Seals. Fur seals started to look more cute in their midst!!
As instructed, that night we ensured all windows were draped so that no light would attract birds that might inadvertently hit solid objects. No gale force winds rocked our ship that night and my dreams were of magical scenes.
Posted by Key Life Journey's Blog at 10/18/2008 10:42 AM 
Categories: Antarctica, South Georgia
Tags: Gold Harbour Elephant seal skuas M/V Polar Star gentoo penguins snowy sheathbill South Georgia fur seals king penguins
Categories: Antarctica, South Georgia
Tags: Gold Harbour Elephant seal skuas M/V Polar Star gentoo penguins snowy sheathbill South Georgia fur seals king penguins
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