Don`t call me Ishmael,setting sail from Ushuaia on a sunny early evening on the adventure of a lifetime,I had two main aims,to see an albatross and to walk with penguins.It didn`t take long to see my first albatross a very smart Black Browed in the Beagle Channel.I went to bed happy.Leaving the channel and entering the notorious Drakes Passage things became more interesting as the ship began to roll with the swell and bunk sliding became a new sport.However we soon found our sea legs and appetites were undiminished as the Plancius crew fed us very well, though some ate more than others!
MY FIRST BLACK BROWED ALBATROSS
In the morning birdwatching from the after deck became the norm and we were joined by giant petrels,white chinned petrels ,cape petrels,and the first wandering albatross,a wondrous beast with a wingspan of up to 3.6m or 12 ft in old money.
GIANT PETREL there are two of these northern and southern, the colour of the bill tip is the only sure way of separating them;-reddish northern, greenish southern.
GIANT PETREL
BLACK BROWED ALBATROSS
WANDERING ALBATROSS
WANDERING ALBATROSS
ROYAL ALBATROSS-probably a four year old southern.?
ROYAL ALBATROSS
WANDERING ALBATROSS
BLACK BELLIED STORM PETREL
WANDERING ALBATROSS-another four year old.
CAPE PETREL
BLUE PETREL
BLUE PETREL
BLUE PETREL
CAPE PETREL
GREY HEADED ALBATROSS
GREY HEADED ALBATROSS
CAPE PETRELS became more numerous as we went south with flocks of 20/30 birds following the ship earning their alternative name of cape pigeon.
BLACK BELLIED STORM PETREL
BLACK BROWED ALBATROSS
THE FIRST WHALES
FIN WHALE
FIN WHALE showing prominent dorsal fin which gives it its name.
CAPE PETRELS aka PINTADO kept arriving as we neared the South Shetlands.
SOUTHERN FULMAR
ANTARTIC PRION
CHIN STRAP PENGUINS
BLUE PETREL
After two days at sea the South Shetland Islands were a welcome sight and the appropriately named SMITHS ISLAND was splendid in the early evening sunshine,tomorrow its penguins and ice berghs all the way.
SMITHS ISLAND
some really great shots
ReplyDelete