Danzenbaker Tour Journal: Day Four in South Georgia

January 9: Salisbury Plain and a King Penguin extravaganza!
 
Could this be the calm before the storm? In this part of the world, flat calm seas and no wind are the exception not the rule, so some of the veteran staffers were understandably edgy upon awakening to such conditions this morning. Many of us had seen this kind of weather before only to see it change in an instant. The placid conditions made for an easy landing on the wide beach and the low density of Fur Seals did not complicate matters.

The immensity of a King Penguin colony is breathtaking.  Golden-brown oakum boys weave through the thousands of nesting regal adults.

After receiving the usual cautionary instructions of “walk at a penguin’s pace” and “keep the proper distance from the wildlife,” passengers began making their way to see the vast colony of 100,000 pairs of King Penguins which makes Salisbury Plain famous. The colony extends from just beyond the beach some 75 yards up a hillside and is surrounded by tussock grass. The din one experiences from the edge of the colony is incredible and it is easy to get completely mesmerized. Lines of oakum boys were woven like golden strands among the stately orange-eared black and white adults.
 
Eventually, more passengers appeared and we began searching for potential egg exchanges. After about 20 minutes, we found one! Unfortunately, only three of us saw it. Of course, with 100,000 pairs, one would hope that there would soon be another. While we waited, we identified several pairs that looked to be ready for an exchange. An hour and a half later we were still waiting.

Though the entire egg exchange ritual between a mated pair of King Penguins may take hours, the actual egg transfer, like the one shown in the three images above, occurs within a matter of seconds. All of our passengers hope to witness such an exchange. We saw but one during our Salisbury Plain visit. 

We did see a skua make a low pass over the penguins. One penguin reacted, instinctively striking upwards and in the process it lost its egg. The egg rolled out onto the open ground and within seconds it fell prey to the skua’s sharp beak. The skua returned several times to enjoy its yolk breakfast. Such is life in a penguin colony. At 10am, I gave a King Penguin biology talk next to the colony. I’m always glad to answer the questions that people ask as it helps me to learn even more.
 
Though our attentions had been focused on the activities of the penguins, all of us had noticed that the winds were growing progressively stronger and the snow was falling more heavily. One look at the Polar Star told us that conditions at the gangway were deteriorating. Eventually, safety concerns outweighed our desire to keep watching the penguins. The ship’s horn was sounded and we hastily made our way back to the landing site. In the end, this landing was only cut short by about 20 minutes, so folks got a quality experience with the penguins and, for some, an enjoyable somewhat wet and bouncy ride to the Polar Star (not to mention the zodiac to gangway transfer).
 
This afternoon we had planned a landing on Prion Island, where we would see the majestic Wandering Albatrosses on their nests. Unfortunately, South Georgia was in the throes of less than optimal weather conditions and it took a while to find an anchorage that was both safe and fairly close to Prion Island. Though disappointing, we had no choice but to postpone the landing until after the eight-foot swells subsided. A few lectures were scheduled and a biographical video of Earnest Shackleton was presented.

To see a Wandering Albatross is to witness nature’s best handiwork. If being in close proximity to a bird with a nearly twelve-foot wingspan doesn't leave you staring in slack-jawed amazement, the mating dance of a pair of Wandering Albatrosses will!

It wasn't until after dinner that we were finally able to land on Prion Island. In guided groups of ten, we walked up the boardwalk to enjoy our moments visiting the great albatrosses. It was like a pilgrimage to visit a life-form that is even higher than ourselves and more than a few tears were shed. One bird had a nest no more than 6 feet from the viewing platform, allowing us an up-close experience that surpassed any that we had enjoyed during previous visits. We returned to the Polar Star with many tales to tell of the day’s audio and visual treats.

All photos by Jim Danzenbaker