Danzenbaker Tour Journal: Day Three in the Falklands

January 3: Steeple Jason – Albatross Heaven
 
A 5:30 wake-up call seemed early, but complaints were few as this day's itinerary featured a visit to one of the true avian spectacles on the planet. The Black-browed Albatross colony on Steeple Jason, the northwestern-most island of the Falklands, is conservatively estimated at 113,000 pairs and extends for three miles along the northern side of the island. 

The Black-browed Albatrosses shown in this image represent a tiny fraction of the 113,000 pairs that nest on Steeple Jason. This is the largest Black-browed Albatross colony in the world.

Unfortunately, as we neared Steeple Jason the ocean swells built quickly to seven feet so launching zodiacs at our planned landing site was deemed too dangerous. The ship had to be repositioned to a more sheltered harbor, costing us roughly an hour of time we had planned to spend on the island. However, this afforded us views of the albatross colony that we don’t often enjoy in this morning light.  Although the landing process took longer than most due to the rocky shoreline and the challenges of transporting people and baggage across jagged rocks, we eventually got everyone ashore.  

Patrick Endres and I headed to the colony to lay down a trail and to flag off closed areas. I stole a quick view of the colony. WOW, what a sight! I stared in near disbelief as I tried to wrap my brain around  the idea of this many albatrosses in one location. The carpet of albatrosses before me extended to and beyond a far ridge, creating the illusion that it went on forever. Steeple Jason is the island nearest to the nutrient rich Argentine shelf and it is swept by strong winds, which creates an ideal environment for albatrosses. Our passengers soon arrived. After a briefing, they too got their first views of the expansive colony. Their mind-blown reactions were much the same as mine. 

Up close and personal with a pair of Black-browed Albatrosses.

We then settled in and enjoyed the varied daily activities of the albatrosses. These spanned the gamut from stretching, courting, mutual preening, and displaying to chick feeding.  By this point in the mating season most eggs had hatched, although there were a few which still had not, either due to infertility or possibly being behind in the developmental process. Periodically, columns of albatrosses would rise up from the colony and surrounding ocean and ride unseen thermals.

Black-throated Finches are ever-present residents on Steeple Jason. They are constantly in song and quite conspicuous as they search for food in the low vegetation.

 
Throughout the area, Brown Skuas and “Johnny Rooks” patrolled looking for a quick meal. The Rockhopper Penguins that shared the colony raucously called and defended their chicks against these marauding predators. Other birds in the area included a singing Grass Wren, numerous Black-throated Finches and almost omnipresent Tussock-birds, which were seemingly under foot everywhere I went.  The weather remained amazing. The combination of partly cloudy skies and next to no wind made it seem downright tropical.

With lots of room for expansion and a reliable food supply nearby, the nesting population of Gentoo Penguins on Steeple Jason continues to grow.

Near the landing site, a Gentoo Penguin colony temporarily diverted our attentions from the albatrosses. Patrolling Johnny Rooks, one of which dispatched a baby Gentoo before horrified onlookers, were a constant at both colonies. Thankfully, only one person was hit by a Johnny Rook today – an improvement after three such attacks last year! Are Johnny Rooks mellowing with age? Probably not…
 
We returned to the Polar Star at 4:30pm – early by Cheeseman's standards.  However, we needed to get a jump-start on the long journey to South Georgia. Our eight-hour exploration of Steeple Jason was fantastic, whetting our appetites for even greater adventures that lay ahead. This evening several Commerson’s Dolphins plied the waters around the ship. Unfortunately, these “puffin’ pigs” didn’t stay long.  

All photos by Jim Danzenbaker