Danzenbaker Tour Journal: Antarctic Peninsula -- Day 2

January 16: Devil Island and Brown Bluff
 
Today we awoke to brilliant Antarctic sunshine. Add in a panorama filled with snow-capped mountains, and pristine icebergs and most of us were thinking "paradise found." Our morning landing targeted Devil Island, located in a small bay on the north end of Vega Island, which lies just inside the hook at the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula at the northwest corner of the Weddell Sea. Devil Island has a colony of 20,000 pairs of Adelie Penguins – modest compared to Paulet Island, but easier for me to wrap my brain around.

Zodiac cruising is one of many highlights of the trip. It gives one a chance to see wildlife up close, but away from the hectic life at the colony.

Shortly after breakfast we made landfall, marking the first time a Cheeseman tour had explored this site. Last year were cruised around the island in zodiacs, but didn't land. We were greeted by a boisterous colony of Adelies, which had been split into two “neighborhoods” by a runoff corridor. We used this divide to make our way upslope and reach a vantage point where we could look down on the colony. This perch allowed us to study the Adelies and learn much about the daily lives without interfering with their activities. We were able to observe pairs incubating eggs, many chicks, territorial displays, mating, aggressive territorial behaviors, advertising males, and regurgitation.

Several of us continued uphill, hiking to the highest point on the island. We scrambled up scree slopes and traversed dirty snow fields as we made the 650-foot climb. I stopped 25 feet shy of the top, opting not to join those who climbed a steep solid rock pinnacle in order to reach the summit. What a grand view! Antarctica in all its grandeur lay at our feet. Time flies when you're having fun, thus we found it was time to descend to the landing long before any of us was ready to leave. A falling tide had exposed many rocks, making our zodiac ride back to the ship a bit precarious. The last zodiac off the island had to be walked out 100 yards into deeper water before we could climb aboard. 
 
During the afternoon, we cruised north and east toward Antarctic Sound. Our first steps onto the Antarctic continent would be taken at Brown Bluff. Up to now, our Antarctic landings had been limited to offshore islands. Along the way we were surprised to find yet another Emperor Penguin (and possibly a second) swimming in the placid water. This sighting combined with the two we had seen earlier (I forgot to mention one seen yesterday) and we had a Cheesemans’ record of three or four Emperor Penguins for the trip surpassing the previous trip high of two. We also saw another ship, the "Hanseatic," passing south to Devil Island.
 
The large backdrop of brown volcanic brown cliffs that lay behind the landing site left no cause to wonder why this place is called Brown Bluff. When compared to many of our other landings, this one is rather quaint. It hosts a nice-sized Adelie Penguin colony and some Gentoo Penguins as well. Unlike the Gentoos that we had previously seen on South Georgia and the Falklands, the chicks at this colony were no more than a week old and they were still being brooded. During previous visits the chicks here had always been about three to four weeks old and chick chases had been common. None of that here this afternoon.

Icebergs are incredible sculptures of centuries old ice carved into myriads of different shapes. Different shades of blue and white accent each curve and crack.

Apparently, the above-average snowfall and related runoff had delayed these Gentoos from starting their nesting on schedule. However, we did find that the Gentoo Penguins, which were nesting on higher ground, above the Adelie Penguin colony, seemed to have three-week old chicks. A size comparison  of the chicks in the two locations was startling. Even with the delayed breeding cycle, I think that all of the chicks will survive to successfully fledge, assuming healthy adults and a good supply of nearby food. The Adelies in this colony appeared to be thriving, as most pairs had two healthy-looking chicks.

We did eventually observe a few chick chases. I've always found it comical to watch as adults decide which chick is theirs, and then exercise and test the strength and general health of their offspring. Parades of Adelies were coming and going along the shoreline, invariably holding their flippers out as they retraced their routes to waiting mates and chicks. When adults return to the nest, raucous rolling calls announce the reunion. It hard to describe how noisy an Adelie colony can be as this scene plays out among thousands of pairs throughout the colony.
 
By the afternoon, the good fortune of this morning’s sunny weather had eroded to overcast skies.
The cloud ceiling continued to drop as we beat a retreat to the Polar Star, concluding yet another wonderful day of this Antarctic safari.   

All photos by Jim Danzenbaker