S O U T H A T L A N T I C

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A N T A R C T I C A Thurs 14th Jan – Weds 3rd Feb 2016

Peregrine Rowse: inholmes ‘at’ BTinternet.com

The Plancius in Grytviken Harbour from the cemetery with the British Antarctic Survey base beyond

It has been a dream of mine to go to the Antarctic for longer than I can remember. It owed more to Scott than Attenborough. The ‘we’ in this report is my wife, brother, sister in law and me. They are civilians; I was the only birder. There are of course many reports, mainly from bird tour companies, covering this route but I hope the comments below may be helpful to you in deciding if to go, when to go, where to go and how to go. For any wildlife enthusiast contemplating this trip a visit to South Georgia, whilst greatly increasing the time required and the cost, should be non-negotiable. In fact, given the choice I would go there and skip the Antarctic continent itself. If you are not already a Shackleton fan once you have read Alfred Lansing’s book ‘Endurance’ you will be. If you are still in doubt go to Dulwich College in South London and see for

yourself the James Caird, the open boat a mere 23 feet long, he sailed 800 nautical miles across the Southern Ocean. Once you have decided your route should include South Georgia you need to consider when in the season to travel. The season spans from early November to late March. It seems to me prices are cheaper at either end of the season but bad weather is more likely. In the early season there are no penguin chicks; even the hardest of hard core birders will appreciate their antics. Prion Island with breeding Wandering Albatross in South Georgia is closed in the early part of the season. There will be more ice in the early season which can cause problems with Antarctic landings; even in January we were unable to land at Brown Bluff, our designated continental landing spot; we were fortunate that an equally rewarding alternative was available. Having analysed quite a few trip reports I think there might be a little more chance of seeing some of the scarcer seabirds at either end of the season rather than in the ‘high’ season when they should be at their breeding colonies. The weather is a big factor. High winds mean uncomfortable passages and cancelled landings. We were incredibly fortunate to enjoy benign conditions. I became aware during the run-up to our trip that quite a percentage of trips (possibly more so on smaller vessels) are curtailed by accidents onboard requiring medical evacuation due to falls in rough weather. One friend lost more than half his trip due a fatality on board resulting from a fall. It will be colder at the season shoulders – like Spring and Autumn in the Northern Hemisphere. The size of the ship is also a major factor. Big ships generally go faster and are more stable. Small ships are more intimate and can get into smaller places and closer to shore so the zodiac runs ashore are quicker. The smaller the number of passengers the quicker the zodiac boarding will be and there will not be rationing of landings. Multiple gangways for zodiac boarding are highly beneficial. We opted for the Dutch company Oceanwide Expeditions’ ship Plancius. This caters for 110 passengers which is at the smaller end of the scale. The ship is styled as an ‘expedition’ ship rather than a luxury cruise vessel. They were very efficient & easy to deal with and also made the ground arrangements for us in Ushuaia and Buenos Aires. Prices are quoted in Euro. We were incredibly lucky that currency movements between Sterling and the Euro between the time we booked and had to pay meant we saved almost 15% in Sterling terms. It could have gone the other way and we probably should have bought the Euro at a known price when we booked.

A trio of Albatrosses: Light mantled sooty Grey headed and Wandering

The biggest concerns for most people considering a trip such as this, once you have swallowed hard and accepted the cost, are cold and sea sickness. If you have birded in North Norfolk in winter you don’t need to worry about the cold. If you haven’t, buy some thermals, and you will be fine. Pete Dunne famously described the three stages of sea sickness in The Feather Quest as: 1, Fear of being Sick; 2, Fear of Dying; 3, Fear of Living. If you are really suffering from sea sickness death seems the easy option but now with modern remedies you shouldn’t have to contemplate meeting your maker. The patches, like sticking plasters, you put behind your ear and rotate every three days really seem to work (according to my wife and sister in law). They do make you thirsty which may have had something to do with our bar bill.

The biggest surprise to me, as a keen birder, was realising that there were no fellow kin onboard. I had assumed that there would be a gaggle of us out in all weathers scanning the sea for scarce birds. I had thought who would want to go there if they weren’t a birder? Well, the answer is a lot of people. If you go with a bird tour company you are obviously going to have birders and probably a leader but if, like me, you sign up for a DIY trip you may well find there isn’t anyone vaguely interested in the difference between a Northern and Southern Royal Albatross let alone a Prion. You do however have the satisfaction of finding and identifying your own birds. The Ship’s operators provide a ‘naturalist’ who may or may not be interested in putting the hours in on deck sifting through thousands of seabirds looking for the rare stuff. Ours was a very nice woman, who was knowledgeable about wildlife in general, but really catered for most of the passengers who were interested in identifying stationary penguins at a few feet. I debated long and hard about whether to bring a scope. You can’t use it at sea – there is too much movement; you don’t need it on land. I didn’t miss it in Ushuaia. With so much other, more essential, weight to carry it was wasn’t a difficult decision to leave it at home. As you will see below Ushuaia provides a very rewarding couple of days birding before or after a South Atlantic cruise.

Thursday 14th January, Buenos Aires to Ushuaia Following a night in an airport hotel in BA it was a 7:10am departure on Aerolinas Argentinas for a 3½ hour flight down to Ushuaia. Luckily we had no problems with our over-weight bags and hand luggage. We arrived at Ushuaia to a bright sunny day and 6°C but had a bit of a nightmare at the airport. First it was a 40 minute wait for our bags; then the Alamo Car rental man failed to show up (there being no office at the airport which was not made clear when I booked the car). A helpful chap at the Information Office called Alamo for me and we finally got the car 45 minutes later. The car is a complete wreck with a huge crack across the windscreen and dents & scrapes in virtually every panel. At least the Alamo guy said there would be no damages charged except in the case of my rolling the car! We then had a nightmare finding the hotel. It is only c. 3km but there is a huge complex network of new gravel roads none of which are signed. We finally got to the lovely Los Cauquenes hotel at 1:15pm, with stunning views over the Beagle Channel to the snow capped mountains of Chile to the south.

The very nice Los Cauquenes Hotel, Ushuaia Our view across the Beagle Channel

A walk along the beach back towards town yielded some nice birds including Upland and Kelp Goose, Flightless and Flying Steamer Duck, Chilean Skua, Rock and Imperial Shag, a fantastic South American Snipe photographed at point blank range, the beautiful Dolphin Gull, Dark bellied Cinclodes, Thorn tailed Rayadito, Austral Negrito and Fire eyed Diucon. We went into town in the late afternoon and had a rather tricky time finding an ATM that worked with our card but after help from a travel agent we found the only functioning ATM buried in the bowels of a shopping centre.

Friday 15th January, Ushuaia An hour and a half walk along the beach before breakfast produced more of the same as yesterday with the very notable addition of a cracking Magellanic Woodpecker. It was a glorious morning with barely a cloud in the sky and the Beagle Channel sparkling, framed with distant snow capped mountains.

Magellanic Woodpecker South American Snipe Chilean Swallow

After breakfast we set off in the old banger rented from Alamo for Tierra del Fuego National Park only 12km to the west. Months ago I had fixed up with Marcelo Carlos de Cruz of Magellanic Birding, who seems to be the only serious bird guide in Ushuaia to guide me in the National Park today and up on the glacier tomorrow morning. Without much notice he told me he was no longer available today hence the need to hire a car. In the event I found pretty well everything myself which was much more satisfying.

Pipo River trail, Tierra del Fuego National Park Where I failed to find White bellied Seedsnipe on the glacier!

The top bird of the day was a minute Magellanic Tapaculo which, belying its reputation, gave us fantastic views. I had seen an awesome female Magellanic Woodpecker earlier but was delighted to find a group of a female and three males which gave us prolonged quality views. We also had nice White throated Tree-runner, a few Great Grebe including a bird with two stripy chicks on its back, a pair of wonderful Spectacled Duck, Black necked Swans, Austral Parakeet, the cracking Tufted Tit-Tyrant, more Long tailed Meadow Lark and some great Patagonian Sierra Finches all in the most glorious location. By midday it was warm enough to be in shirt sleeves and in sheltered spots out of the breeze it was actually warm. We had lunch in a cafe inside the park and went to the southernmost post office in South America.

Upland Goose Tufted Tit Tyrant Fire eyed Diucon

In the late afternoon I drove to the rubbish dump to the east of town successfully finding White throated Caracara, not on the dump itself, but soaring over the wooded hills above it. The only real dip today was Austral Pygmy Owl.

Saturday 16th January, Ushuaia – at sea in the Beagle Channel aboard the Plancius

I was met by Marcelo’s Magellanic Birding colleague, Gaston Bretti punctually for a half day. We headed up the Martial Glacier road above Ushuaia on another glorious morning parking at the bottom of the ski lift. It was a steep 25 minute power walk to the top of the lift and then a more gradual and sedate climb above the tree line. We thrashed the scree slopes for over three hours looking carefully for White bellied Seedsnipe sadly without luck. Gaston, who was a decent birder and tried hard to find the bird, had seen one here a few weeks ago but it has become very scarce here and difficult to find due to disturbance from walkers. Garibaldi Pass 45 minutes drive north of town is apparently a reliable place for them. We found the four other high altitude specialists: Yellow bridled Finch, Dark faced Ground Tyrant, Grey Flanked Cinclodes and Ochre naped Ground Tyrant without too much difficulty but didn’t have any luck with a Condor. We had a last lunch in the hotel and stretched our legs along the beach in a freshening breeze. It was with growing excitement that we drove down to the port at 3:30pm for our appointed four o’clock boarding. The Plancius looked sparkling and our cabins are very comfortable. The ship is full with 110 passengers and there are c. 45 crew. The ‘expedition staff’ led by Jim Mayer, a Brit, introduced themselves; we had a safety briefing and life boat drill. After dinner I watched the Beagle Channel slip by including a big colony of Magellanic Penguins on an off-shore islet and we passed Harberton, the Bridges family farm made famous by the Uttermost Part of the Earth which we had enjoyed reading so much. Birds seen in Ushuaia and Tierra del Fuego National Park

Wildfowl

1 Black-necked Swan Cygnus melancoryphus 4 Roca lake, TdeF NP

2 Flying Steamer Duck Tachyeres patachonicus Up to 5 per day inc chicks off the beach in the Beagle Channel

3 Fuegian Steamer Duck Tachyeres ptenees Up to 10 per day inc chicks off the beach

4 Upland Goose Chloephaga picta Up to 10 per day along the foreshore

5 Kelp Goose Chloephaga hybrid Up 4 per day all males on the beach

6 Crested Duck Lophonetta specularioides Up to 20 per day inc chicks on the beach

7 Spectacled Duck Speculanas specularis A pair on Roca Lake, TdeF NP

8 Yellow-billed (Speckled) Teal Anas flavirostris 2 on the beach

9 Yellow-billed Pintail Anas georgica 1 on a pool behind the beach

Kelp Goose with kelp Great Grebe with chicks Black necked Swan

Grebes, Ibis and Cormorants

10 Great Grebe Podiceps major 3 inc one bird with 2 chicks, Roca Lake, TdeF NP

11 Black-faced Ibis Theristicus melanopis Up to 20 per day on scrub behind the beach

12 Neotropic Cormorant Phalacrocorax brasilianus 1 Roca lake, TdeF NP

13 Rock Shag Phalacrocorax magellanicus

Up to 5 per day, Beagle Channel

14 Imperial Shag Leucocarbo atriceps Up to 20 per day, Beagle Channel

Raptors

15 Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle Geranoaetus melanoleucus I over Lapataia Bay, TdeF NP

16 White-throated Caracara Phalcoboenus albogularis 3 over wood hillsides above the refuse dump

17 Southern Crested Caracara Caracara plancus Up to 5 per day around the town and beach

18 Chimango Caracara Milvago chimango Up to 50 per day - basically everywhere inc. the town centre

Rallids, Sheathbill & Waders

19 Magellanic Oystercatcher Haematopus leucopodus Up to 10 per day along the beach

20 Blackish Oystercatcher Haematopus ater Up to 10 per day along the beach

21 Southern Lapwing Vanellus chilensis Up to 5 per day along the beach

22 South American Snipe Gallinago paraguaiae 5 seen in wet scrub behind the beach

The attractive Dolphin Gull Magellanic Oystercatcher Blackish Oystercatcher

Gulls, Terns & Skuas

23 Dolphin Gull Leucophaeus scoresbii Up to 100 per day on the beach

24 Kelp Gull Larus dominicanus 100+ almost all adults on the beach

25 Chilean Skua Stercorarius chilensis Up to 3 per day on the beach and flying down the Beagle Channel

Parrots & Woodpeckers

26 Austral Parakeet Enicognathus ferrugineus A flock of c. 10 seen a couple of times in woodland behind the beach

27 Magellanic Woodpecker Campephilus magellanicus One seen in woodland behind the beach and a group of one female and three males seen in TdeF NP

Furnariids

28 Bar-winged Cinclodes Cinclodes fuscus Three individuals seen in coastal scrub

29 Grey-flanked Cinclodes Cinclodes oustaleti 5 seen on scree slopes of the Martial Glacier

20 Dark-bellied Cinclodes Cinclodes patagonicus 4 seen feeding around boulders on the beach

31 Thorn-tailed Rayadito Aphrastura spinicauda Up to 20 per day seen in woodland behind the beach and in the NP where it was common

32 White-throated Treerunner Pygarrhichas albogularis Three seen in TdeF NP

33 Magellanic Tapaculo Scytalopus magellanicus A great view of one in TdeF NP - a new family for me

Chimango Caracara Rufous collared Sparrow Chilean Swallow feeding young

Tyrant-Flycatchers

34 Chilean Elaenia Elaenia chilensis Up to 20 per day in scrub behind the beach. This is split from White crested Elaenia; the crest is very prominent

35 Tufted Tit-Tyrant Anairetes parulus a great confiding pair in TdeF NP

36 Austral Negrito Lessonia rufa Up to 10 on the beach and tide wrack

37 Ochre-naped Ground Tyrant Muscisaxicola flavinucha 3 on scree of the Martial Glacier

38 Dark-faced Ground Tyrant Muscisaxicola maclovianus

5 on scree of the Martial Glacier

39 Fire-eyed Diucon Xolmis pyrope Seen three times in scrub behind the beach

Hirundines, Wrens & Thrushes

40 Chilean Swallow Tachycineta meyeni Common

41 House Wren Troglodytes aedon 10's seen in TdeF NP

42 Austral Thrush Turdus falcklandii Up to 20 per day in the hotel garden and scrub behind the beach

Sparrows, Pipit, Icterids &

Finches

43 House Sparrow Passer domesticus Up to 10 per day around the hotel

44 Black-chinned Siskin Carduelis barbata Up to 10 per day around hotel and woods below Martial Glacier

45 Long-tailed Meadowlark Sturnella loyca Up to 10 per day in scrub behind the beach

46 Rufous-collared Sparrow Zonotrichia capensis Common in scrub behind the beach

47 Patagonian Sierra Finch Phrygilus patagonicus c. 10 in TdeF NP and a couple of sightings in scrub behind the beach

48 Yellow-bridled Finch Melanodera xanthogramma

10 on the Martial Glacier scree slopes

Southern House Wren Patagonian Sierra Finch Dark bellied Cinclodes

Sunday 17th January, at sea en route to the Falkland Islands I was up at 5:30 and on deck ten minutes later with Isla dos Estados (Staten Island) slipping away behind us on our port quarter for a two hour birding session before breakfast. It was incredibly exciting to witness the sea covered with thousands of birds: Black browed Albatross, Wilson’s Petrel, Sooty Shearwaters and both Giant Petrels. After a very quick but delicious buffet breakfast I was back up at the bow. It was a glorious cloudless day about 7 - 9° C with a following westerly wind so the apparent wind speed was probably only 15 knots. We had several pods of Dusky Dolphin and a great Long finned Pilot Whale sighting. Further new birds were Great Shearwaters, small numbers (to start with) of the attractive Cape Petrels and a few White chinned Petrels. As we headed eastwards towards the Falklands in the early afternoon bird numbers started to fall especially Shearwaters; they eventually ceased altogether but Cape Petrels increased and we started to see zipping Slender billed Prions. Early afternoon also saw our first GREAT ALBATROSSES!!! I think both Wandering and Northern Royal but id of these birds is very tough. I tried to photograph every large albatross so I could study the images with the books in hand. The plumage variations with sex and age are baffling and no two birds seem alike. Later in the day when the wind dropped and the sea, apart from a slight swell, was really quite calm I saw several great albatrosses sitting on the sea; I didn’t even attempt to identify these sitting birds especially as most of them were quite distant. My last great bird of the day was a minute Grey backed Storm Petrel which I had been looking for hard all day. I only saw fourteen species today but thousands of individual birds with numerous birds constantly in view; this wasn’t sea watching it was seabird watching! We had a few brief views of South American Sea Lions but they dive very quickly fleeing from the ship. Mercifully the sea is really quite calm and we are getting used to the rolling motion. There are a lot of warnings from the staff about moving around the ship carefully; many of these trips end prematurely including the Plancius last week with passengers falling and injuring themselves.

Two of our constant companions: Cape Petrel and Black browed Albatross

Monday 18th January, Falkland Islands I was up and on deck by 5:30am. We are off a narrow passage called Woolly Gut between West Point Island and West Falkland. Jim, the leader, in our briefing yesterday evening (there are briefings the whole time!) informed us that this was

quite a spectacle and that there was a chance of dolphins. It was indeed dramatic going through the narrows which were teeming with birds including our first Gentoo Penguins and hundreds of feeding Slender billed Prions; we also saw lovely breeding plumage South American Terns and Falklands Brown Skuas. It was a bit grey to start with but got progressively brighter as the morning wore on. We were all excited at the prospect of making our first landing which was scheduled for Carcass Island. There are endless warnings that landings are not guaranteed and might be called off at the last minute due to the weather. The main problem seems to be wind which can flip the zodiacs over especially when they are returning empty but swell in some more exposed places can also be a problem. There are eleven zodiacs available with 40hp outboards and two gangways. There is one crew member in the zodiac and another at the base of the gangway. The zodiac is lashed tightly to the gangway to minimise any gap between the two which in the swell could be very hazardous. We had been given a safety briefing on boarding the zodiacs. The zodiac boarding was extremely quick, efficient and safely managed as was everything about the running of the ship. I found the almost endemic Blackish Cinclodes and endemic Cobb’s Wren easily on the beach; in fact I had to step backwards to focus my camera. In the tussock grass behind the dunes there were lots of burrow nesting Magellanic Penguins; one had to be careful where one put one’s feet so as not to accidentally collapse a burrow. There were smaller numbers of lovely Gentoos. Passerines were of course few and far between but included the stunning White bridled Finch, Black faced Ground Tyrant, the endemic sub species of Sedge Wren and handsome Black chinned Siskin. The Cinclodes were everywhere and one of our fellow passengers who is quite a keen birder actually got a photo of one sitting on his wife’s head! There were lots of Upland Geese and smaller numbers of the attractive Ruddy headed Goose. Falkland Skuas were loafing menacingly around the penguin colonies but unlike Bonxies in Shetland do not seem to dive bomb people. After enjoying the penguins we did a lovely 4km walk through the tussock grass, now in glorious sunshine and not too much wind, along the magnificent horseshoe bay to the tiny settlement where there was tea and cakes laid on by the McGill family who own the island, for those that wanted it. We saw a female Elephant Seal lying on the kelp exposed by the tide but it wasn’t all that exciting and barely lifted its head to acknowledge our intrusion. We also saw our first Striated Caracaras.

Cobb’s Wren, Carcass Is Magellanic Penguin nest

The ship moved a short distance over lunch to another anchorage off Saunders Island a few miles to the east. The wind picked up a bit and the landing beach was rather exposed so we all got quite wet during the zodiac ride ashore. Here there were thousands of Gentoo Penguins on a low saddle between two beautiful fine white sand beaches – quite an incredible sight. A bit further uphill there was a colony of many hundred of cute Rockhopper Penguins.

Gentoo Penguin and chick, Carcass Is Two of the thirty or so King Penguins found on Carcass Is.

Amongst the Gentoos was a spectacular group of about thirty simply superb King Penguins. In the bright sunlight their orange cheeks and silver backs just looked stunning. Lurking amongst the Rockhoppers was a much larger, lone Macaroni Penguin with more prominent golden head plumes (also meeting at the forehead unlike Rockhopper) which was a nice bonus; that made it five species of penguin here at Saunders Island; I don’t think any other site in the world matches that.

Rockhopper Penguins, Carcass Is.

A bit further round where the hill rose from the shore to form a cliff there were hundreds of wonderful breeding Black browed Albatross with gorgeous grey fluffy chicks perched improbably on their saucepan like mud nests. Watching the huge adults tenderly preen their tiny chick was wonderful. We also saw adults mutually preening; the pleasure they get from doing this and the deep pair bond it creates was so self evident. After enjoying the wonderful albatrosses for a time we went down to the beach to try and photograph the Rockhoppers porpoising ashore through the surf. They move incredibly fast and unpredictably so this was challenging but great fun.

Rockhoppers coming ashore

As we walked back to the beach we suddenly noticed a huge male Southern Sea Lion amongst the Gentoos. The Gentoos were very agitated and bravely congregated in large numbers to herd the predator away from their vulnerable chicks. Gradually they successfully harassed it away in what looked like a game of Grandmother’s Footsteps. The Gentoos crept forward but the moment the Sea Lion stopped and looked around at them they froze. As the huge lumbering animal shuffled down to the beach an unruly gang of Striated Caracaras joined in the harassment. The owner of Saunder’s Island

had parked her landrover on the beach and we got some incredible photos of this magnificent vast and rather frightening animal shuffling past the people gathered round the vehicle. This was an unheard of sighting on Saunders Island.

Black browed Albatross on Carcass Is

After several hours ashore including waiting for the Sea Lion to clear the beach, the wind had got up quite a bit and we had a very wet 15 minute zodiac ride back to the ship but we were all on an absolute high after such a wonderful day. The ship set sail as soon as we were aboard and we tucked into another great dinner.

Sea Lion on Saunders Island You wouldn’t want to mess with him.

Tuesday 19th January, Port Stanley, Falkland Islands I was on deck by 6:30 (the only one, as usual) to a cold, grey windy morning with hundreds of Sooty Shearwaters around the ship. At 7:30am we passed through the narrows into Stanley harbour. In a strengthening wind and spitting rain we got the first zodiac ashore at 9am. The others went for a wander seeing some of the sites including the War Memorial, cathedral and museum whilst I took a taxi for a few miles out towards the old airport on advice from Keith Betton to look for Rufous chested Dotterel and Two banded Plover. I found the latter quite quickly with two small downy, but very mobile chicks. The Dotterel however was a bit more of a trek out to a tarn between the end of the runway and Pembroke Point. Other birds included Correndera Pipit, Red backed Hawk, Upland Goose, Long tailed meadow Lark and Dark faced Ground Tyrant (seems much bigger here than the mainland form). It was nice to find a lone White rumped Sandpiper on the bay as I walked back. The taxi picked me up at the appointed time of 11am for the princely sum of £6 after a great couple of hours. We were back aboard at 12:30 by which time it was raining quite heavily. Over lunch we were informed that four passengers have had to leave the ship. They have chest infections (which have been going round a bit) and it seems that they were not in very good general health. Jim, the expedition leader and the doctor, a nice semi–retired German who has practiced on Skye for many years, seemed very keen to off load anyone who might become more seriously ill when we are much further from help. We did feel rather sorry for the people concerned even though we weren’t sure who they were. We used the hand sanitizers we are encouraged to employ a little bit more enthusiastically after this. We left Stanley in light rain and low cloud at 3pm. I did three hours on deck watching from the partly sheltered bridge wing. It was nice to see c. 20 Grey back Storm Petrels; there were lots of Sooty and several Great Shearwaters as we left the Falklands behind but bird numbers fell off quickly.

Wednesday 20th January, at sea en route to South Georgia It was grey and drizzling at 6:30 when I was up on deck. I did an hour and a half on the bridge wing before breakfast. Birds were rather few and far between but the first of the day was a glorious Wandering Albatross which lifts the spirits. It brightened over breakfast and the wind dropped to below 20 knots from the south on our starboard beam. We are making just over 12 Knots and it is really calm. I did another 3½ hour session on the bridge wing up to lunchtime. Generally rather few birds but I did have two nice Black bellied Petrel and a brief view of a Common Diving Petrel. We also had a reasonable view of two Cuvier’s beaked Whales as they cruised by. Again there were few birds in the afternoon and it was very grey and drizzling. We crossed the Antarctic Convergence at about 11pm. It is flat calm (virtually no white horses) and only about 20 knots of wind which is directly astern so at the bow it feels positively warm. Both the air and sea temperature are c. 5°C.

Southern Royal Albatross over the South Atlantic

Thursday 21st January, at sea en route to South Georgia I was up early again despite putting our clocks forward one hour to South Georgia time. It was rather disappointing that we had very poor visibility more or less all day; at best it was very low grey cloud, at worst it was pretty thick fog. There were a few snatches of sunshine at about 5pm. The best bird of the morning was a cracking Soft plumaged Petrel (and I saw another through the restaurant window over lunch). Numbers of Antarctic Prion grew throughout the day; by late afternoon there were hundreds more or less constantly in sight. I had a brief rather distant view of my first Grey headed Albatross. We saw a very pale, cream coloured whale which was probably another Cuvier’s beaked Whale but it was a completely different colour from the ones we saw previously which were more olive green. A few great albatrosses sailed by but there is hardly enough wind for them to fly. We saw Southern Fur Seals with increasing frequency as we neared South Georgia. We passed Shag Rocks at 5:15pm but sadly couldn’t see them in the thick fog or much of the rich bird life that lives in these waters. Despite the poor visibility and lack of wind that may have kept some of the larger tubenoses on the sea, bird numbers did increase significantly. We saw our first South Georgia Shags. I had fun photographing the Antarctic Prions which are much darker overall including on the face and they have a darker more prominent M over their wings and mantle than Slender billed Prions. I checked as many Prions as possible for the scarce Fairy and rare Broad billed without luck; this is where more pairs of eyes might have paid off. Black bellied Storm Petrels featured strongly with c. 20 seen over the course of the day. There were further bio-security and wildlife contact briefings and we had to vacuum our outer clothing to avoid accidentally introducing alien plant species to South Georgia. We can’t believe (neither can the crew) how lucky we are with the calm sea conditions and moderate winds. It was about 3°C today.

Antarctic Prion – difficult to photograph! The only Macaroni Penguin we saw on land; a singleton on Saunders Is

Friday 22nd January, South Georgia I was up and out at 6:30am gutted to see that it was still foggy. It gradually lifted however and by 7:30 the snow covered mountains of South Georgia emerged out of the mist on our starboard side. In an instant the wind got up, the sky cleared to a glorious sunny day but the temperature had fallen considerably not getting much above 2°C in the morning. There were a good number and variety of birds around before breakfast including my first Antarctic Terns, a rather brief and distant Light mantled Sooty Albatross and a better sighting of a Grey headed Albatross. In the calm conditions many birds were sitting on the sea including groups of Cape Petrel, Giant Petrels and Prions. It was fun also seeing good numbers of penguins including King, Gentoo and Macaroni at sea; here they are in their element and move with tremendous speed and grace unlike their rather comical and clumsy motion on land.

Our first view of South Georgia! Wind blown snow creates a rainbow as we come into the Bay of Isles It was blowing 40+ knots of wind as we came into the Bay of Isles and wind blown snow off the mountains created a fantastic rainbow; even offshore we could hear the cacophony coming from Salisbury Plain the site of our first landing on South Georgia. We got togged up in our numerous layers, waterproof trousers, mandatory life jacket, ship-issued wellies (as all our landings are into a few inches of water on beaches) and rushed down to the loading deck to be on the first zodiac ashore at 9am. The sight greeting us on arrival defies description; there were hundreds of thousands of King Penguins and thousands of Antarctic Fur Seals everywhere – wow! The flat gravel plain, ringed by tall snow covered, sunlit mountains, was simply spectacular. We spent 3½ hours ashore trying to absorb the phenomenal sight, sound and smell; at first one literally didn’t know where to look and certainly not where to point one’s camera. It was complete sensory overload with what surely is one of, if not, the very best wildlife spectacles of the world. The sight of the densely packed throng of King Penguins looking immaculate in their orange, black and white livery, their bizarre brown, downy coated young, the tiny cute doe eyed baby Fur Seals, the aggressive, rather scary teenage males, the sleek females wet from foraging at sea, all under a glorious blue sky was just incredible. We had been told strictly not to approach the penguins and seals within 5m but no one had told them; at one point when I was just quietly trying to take it all in a teenage King Penguin waddled over towards me out of curiosity and I put my gloved hand out to it; it just gave me an inquisitive little nip as though to say ‘what’s this?’ I heard South Georgia Pipit first; a brief but nervous few moments ticked by, but I shouldn’t have worried; it wasn’t long before I found a loose group including recently fledged young feeding at my feet. The fledged young were significant – very significant; they are living proof that the rat eradication programme conducted by the South Georgia Heritage Trust is really working and looks likely to save this enigmatic species, the most southerly passerine, from possible extinction.

The incredible sight that greeted us at Salisbury Plain, South Georgia

Equally exciting was the sight of both Southern and Northern Giant Petrels squabbling over the carcass of a fur seal submerged in fresh melt water runoff turned vivid green with algae. Out of the wind it was positively warm and the light was superlative – it literally could not have looked better. Ashore in the colonies where I knew the birds and animals would be just yards away I used my 100-400mm zoom. We got back to the Plancius at 12:45 on an absolute high.

Antarctic Fur Seals from cute to menacing in a moment!

We moved barely a few miles across the Bay of Isles to Prion Island for our afternoon activities. First we did a 45 minute zodiac ride around the rocky shore and kelp beds. Fur Seals were everywhere and rather like the penguins looked so graceful swimming in the crystal clear shallow waters whereas on land despite moving quite fast, especially when they are lunging at one, they are ungainly. There were also quite a few Elephant Seals but they are all females and immature males; the big bulls have already deserted the breeding beaches and left for the open sea. Some of the Elephant Seals are moulting and have unsightly peeling dying skin. With their huge eyes, no doubt brilliant at finding prey in the gloomy depths, they stare rather blankly at one as though saying ‘who on earth are you and what on earth are you doing here?’ We also saw our first cute little South Georgia Pintails from the zodiac; it was nice to get that one under the belt but much better views were to follow over the coming days.

Northern Giant Petrels fight over a Fur Seal carcass, Salisbury Plain, South Georgia

Only 35 people are allowed onto Prion Island at a time; we were the last group on another glorious sunny afternoon. There were a lot of aggressive Fur Seals in the tussock grass as we made our way up the 200m long board walk to the crest of the island where there were a minimum of 14 (probably more out of sight) breeding Wandering Albatross. I say breeding but there was no evidence of young; some of the sitting birds may have been on eggs. At first the nearest birds were a bit distant and it was slightly underwhelming but several birds landed much closer and on the way back down in a slightly different area we had mind blowing close views of sitting birds. They are vast and rather ungainly when they walk but were absolutely magnificent as they circled on their eleven foot wings just yards from us. There were also plenty of Sub-Antarctic Skuas and Giant Petrels of both species. I found several more South Georgia Pintail including two pairs of half grown chicks.

Moulting Elephant Sea, Prion Island Zodiac cruising in the Bay of Isles

Wandering Albatross: vast on the ground, magnificent in the air. At 11 foot the broadest wingspan of any bird.

Saturday 23rd January, South Georgia

Overnight the ship moved east towards St Andrews Bay. Because of an expected storm later today we got a wake-up call at 4:15am for zodiacs at 4:45 although we had a rather long hot wait in the passageway togged up in all our gear before disembarking. It was already fully light but a rather grey morning. If it was possible St Andrews Bay was even more impressive than Salisbury Plain; in the duller light the photography wasn’t as good but still fun. After landing, with the beach covered with penguins and seals we walked a short distance to the left to a small rise from which the ground fell away to the east, covered with a vast number of King Penguins. There are thought to be about 250,000 pairs here so with youngsters and non-breeders the population could be as many as 750,000. The tightly packed mass of birds especially seen from a bit of height was mesmerising. There were a number of Snowy Sheathbills strutting around amongst the penguins; they are strange birds. As usual for South Georgia there were thousands of Fur Seals that turn from cute to ferocious aggressors in moments. We were ashore for 3½ hours returning for a well earned and welcome breakfast.

King Penguins at St Andrews Bay, South Georgia

After breakfast we moved a short distance westwards to an incredible small natural harbour in a deep bowl between high mountains called Godthul. There is a huge storm expected later today but we are hoping that the worst of it will pass to the north of us. As we entered Godthul we saw a smallish sailing yacht anchored in the neighbouring bay, no doubt also seeking sanctuary. En route to Godthul there were lots of Wilson’s Storm Petrels, one nice Soft plumaged Petrel that as

always zipped by, one Grey headed Albatross as well as three Humpback Whales one of which gave a nice flick of its tail flukes. By the time we arrived at Godthul mid-morning it was raining quite steadily and it was about 3°C. The beach is a narrow string of shingle backed by steep tussock clad hillsides. I braved it through the crowded herd of Fur Seals along the beach to concentrate on photography despite the very less than ideal conditions. I did however achieve my objective in photographing both South Georgia Pintail and Antarctic Tern albeit in appalling light and pouring rain. I also saw my first blond Fur Seals, an adult female and an un-associated cute pup. I saw one South Georgia Pipit creeping around boulders on the beach. I got back to find that a great deal of moisture had got inside my 100-400 zoom lens; luckily leaving it open and with some silica gel it dried out quickly with no apparent long term effects.

Three endemic taxa from South Georgia: Pintail, Subantarctic Skua and Pipit

After lunch we moved further west in what had by now turned to snow to Fortuna Bay arriving at 4pm. There was a trip ashore but few takers for this having already been ashore twice today and the appalling conditions. I however was keen as there was a chance of seeing breeding Light mantled Sooty Albatross. On arrival on the beach in pretty torrential rain there was no sign of the Albatross and the landing was pretty much a wash out. There were quite a lot of Elephant Seals amongst the Fur Seals. I saw several more SG Pintail; they seem quite common but flighty. They really are completely different especially in their tiny size from the South American Yellow billed Pintail and of course they have the unique habit of foraging on carrion.

Plancius off Salisbury Plain, South Georgia

Sunday 24th January, South Georgia Before breakfast we steamed into Stromness Bay with the wind blowing at 50 knots and flecks of snow in the air. It was exciting thinking of Shackleton, Worsley and Crean stumbling into the whaling station to reach safety after months on the ice and their extraordinary ordeal crossing the southern ocean in an open boat. Luckily the wind slackened sufficiently for the landing to proceed. Whilst we were waiting for this decision to be made I was thrilled and surprised given the lack of ice to find two or three beautiful Snow Petrels buzzing around the harbour.

Industrial detritus on the beach at Stromness Fur Seals reclaiming the beach at Stromness

The eerie deserted whaling station, which one is not allowed, by SG Govt edict, to enter due to the presence of unsafe buildings, unsecure sheets of corrugated iron flying around and asbestos, is a bleak reminder of past slaughter. It was fitting to see that wildlife had thoroughly re-colonised the scene of its former, unsustainable exploitation and in the case of the Fur Seal, virtual extinction. We walked up the broad river valley to the Shackleton waterfall down which he had abseiled. It really was moving treading the same ground as they had almost one hundred years ago to the day. The river flowed through a wide gravel plain; nearer the sea there were many Fur Seals and some King Penguins and plenty of Antarctic Terns. We found a gorgeous fledgling well camouflaged amongst the pebbles. As recently as a few years ago this plain and many other areas of South Georgia were infested with large numbers of Reindeer, that had originally been introduced by the Norwegian whalers, and they had flourished here. They were doing immense damage to the tussock grass, a vital breeding habitat for many seabirds, and the decision was taken to eradicate them from the island; what was said to be the very last stag was apparently shot only this week. We hadn’t quite reached the waterfall itself when we were called to hurry back to the beach because the wind was again picking up and making zodiac operation extremely hazardous. By now it was snowing quite heavily.

Coming into Grytviken in a stiff breeze The British Antarctic Survey base at St Edwards Point, Grytviken

Once back aboard the wind increased to 45+ knots which made the sea froth. The decks were closed but it was incredible watching from the relative shelter of the bridge wings how the seabirds dealt with these fierce conditions seemingly without effort. We sailed for a couple of hours to reach Grytviken. It was still blowing hard but the cloud had lifted. Entering Cumberland Bay with its surrounding snow covered mountains, turquoise sea and blue sky was magical. In the outer harbour I was delighted to see two Light mantled Sooty Albatross; one on the sea, the other soaring in front of the steep cliffs. There were also a few more Snow Petrels here. We passed the cross on St Edwards Point erected by the crew of the Quest in 1922 in memory of Shackleton and the very well maintained British Antarctic Survey base before coming into the inner harbour where it was nicely sheltered. A team from the South Georgia Heritage Trust came aboard to give a talk about the rat eradication programme they are running. This is very impressive and reaping real results. The island is thought to be rat free and the task now is to set bait and check that every last one has been dealt with.

Grytviken Harbour, now the only settlement on South Georgia The church erected by Norwegian whalers in 1913

We then went ashore for a wonderful three hours which started with us paying our respects with a tot of whisky at Shackleton’s grave and that of Frank Wild. The tiny graveyard surrounded by a white painted picket fence and guarded by loafing Elephant Seals is a lovely spot, at least on a glorious afternoon such as this. Most of the few dozen graves belong to Norwegian whalers but one is an Argentine soldier; a sorry reminder of their invasion of the island in 1982. We visited the Norwegian church erected in 1913, the interesting museum and post office. It was interesting just wandering around the remaining whaling buildings, though many have been dismantled. Seeing the old whaling ships rusting on the beach including the Petrel with her menacing harpoon gun at the bow was another salutary reminder of this awful industry.

Shackleton’s grave The rusting whale catcher Petrel, a sad reminder of past slaughter

Monday 25th January, South Georgia

I was out on at 6:30. It was a cold windy morning at about 3°C but the sea was covered with thousands and thousands of birds as we headed towards the east end of the island. We are off Cooper’s Bay. Before breakfast I saw my first Chinstrap Penguins and plenty of Macaronis, not to mention King and Gentoo as well as glorious Snow Petrels beside a blue iceberg, countless thousands of Antarctic Prions, Wilson’s Petrels as well as a few Cape and White chinned Petrels and ever present Black browed Albatross. We were due to land at Cooper’s Bay to visit the Macaroni colony but sadly it was deemed too windy. Little did we realise that the alternative excursion would be in many ways even better. Instead we entered the incredibly steep sided Larsen Harbour where mountains covered in plenty of fresh snow come right down to the shore and the black scree slopes and boulders hold almost no vegetation at all. It was sheltered in the harbour and we went for a great 1½ hour zodiac cruise along the shore line and up to a glacier. The cold grey light created the appearance of a black and white photograph; it really was exciting and dramatic. This steep sided fjord with its numerous glaciers is the only place where Weddell Seals live outside the Antarctic proper and where they breed on land as opposed to ice. It is only a small population of a few dozen animals and the crew weren’t sure if they would be present at this time of year. Find them, we did; about 15 in total. They are attractive leviathans. We also saw about 10 SG Pipits which did not suffer so badly from rats down in this

remote, bleak and much more inhospitable end of the island. There was also one SG Skua, plenty of Antarctic Terns and handsome Kelp Gulls with well grown chicks as well as SG Cormorants. There were small numbers of Elephant and Fur Seals here also. It was a really brilliant excursion but sitting motionless in the zodiac so close to the frigid water meant that we were pretty cold by the time we got back aboard despite using all our layers.

Zodiac cruise in Larsen Harbour, South Georgia

The later zodiacs had to be called back due to the increasing wind. Once we were all back aboard the Captain Alexey Nazarov took the Plancius up the spectacular Drygalski Fjord. This is a huge, narrow steep sided fjord with numerous side glaciers and the huge Drygalski Glacier at the head of the fjord. We punched into a very stiff 50+ knot wind but under wonderful blue skies. What was absolutely breathtaking about the whole scene was the incredible bright turquoise colour of the sea. There were numerous Snow Petrels in the fjord. Seeing these wonderful birds, the most southerly of breeders, zipping along in the ferocious wind over water more reminiscent of the Caribbean than the Antarctic, really was special. Such was the wind it was actually difficult to move around on deck. As the snout of the glacier came into view a huge chunk of ice calved from it, which was very exciting, and numerous Snow Petrels and Terns rushed to feed in the turbulent water created by the ice fall. As we left the fjord we came up to a stunning enormously tall

Cape Petrel over the glassy waters of Larsen Harbour Coming into Drygalski Fjord

Cathedral-like iceberg, the best and biggest we have seen so far by a long way. There were several Humpbacks feeding in the vicinity of the berg and numerous seabirds. I had a very profitable few hours seawatching as we headed down the east end of South Georgia towards Cape Disappointment, so named by Captain Cook in 1775 on the realisation that the land they could see was an island, and not part of the mythical great southern continent. There were good numbers of my first Blue Petrels, thousands of Antarctic Prions, and scores of Diving Petrels at least one of which I was satisfied was a South Georgia Diving Petrel.

Snow Petrel over the turquoise waters of Drygalski Fjord

Tuesday 26th January, at sea in the Scotia Sea en route to the South Orkney Islands I did a couple of hours on deck before breakfast. There weren’t a huge number of birds but I did see ten species including my first photographable Grey headed Albatross and a Soft plumaged Petrel. I still haven’t been able to photograph one of these; they move through very fast and don’t come near the ship. After breakfast the cloud came down and the visibility was very poor. There is little wind and about 2°C but there is a rather annoying deep swell on the beam which means we are rolling quite a bit. It brightened in the afternoon but again birds were a bit thin which was rather disappointing as I was expecting this leg to be productive. This afternoon there was a charity auction in aid of rat eradication which raised £800 with one of the Swiss girls being a particularly enthusiastic bidder.

The monumental iceberg off Drygalski Fjord

Wednesday 27th January, South Orkney Islands I was up early at 5am with our clocks changing back one hour. I did a couple of hours on the bridge before breakfast seeing my first white phase Southern Giant Petrel (in fact this turned out to be the only one of the entire trip) but birds were generally few and far between. At 7am we came into Laurie Island in the South Orkneys. The sea was covered with icebergs of innumerable shapes and colours; the bay of the Argentine Orcadas Base was particularly full of ice and there were plenty of Chinstraps feeding offshore. It was exciting taking the zodiacs through thick brash ice to reach the shore.

Our route across the South Atlantic and Antarctic totalling 3537 nautical miles

The Argentine research station hosts 17 men in a God forsaken spot. It was interesting seeing the pre-fab metal igloos they live and work in and they were hospitable. Their re-supply ship was also in the bay; the only other ship, apart from the sailing yacht in South Georgia, we have seen. Their base has only been visited by seven ships in the last 12 months. It is their changeover day with a number of fresh faced newbies arriving and others, having spent 12 months here, no doubt eager to get home, leaving. Both Cape and Snow Petrels appeared to be breeding on the rock face above the base and there were lots of Chinstraps and good numbers of male Fur Seals who come down here after breeding. The favoured spot

Taking the zodiacs through brash ice to land at the Argentine Orcadas base in the South Orkney Islands

of the Fur Seals seemed to be the little shingle ridge where the base cemetery was located. There was a single Elephant Seal on the beach, some SG Skuas and SG Cormorants. There was virtually no vegetation on the island despite being only 60° South. It looked very bleak. This base was established by a Scot called Bruce in 1904 and is the longest continually manned base in Antarctica. In the afternoon as we headed westwards we passed through an area obviously rich in krill and we saw lots of Humpbacks and several Fin Whales including two very nice and close. There were also plenty of birds including a Grey headed Albatross and numerous Black browed Albatross, lots of Cape Petrel, Black bellied and Wilson’s Storm Petrel and a few more Snow Petrel. The sea is dead calm and you would hardly know we are under way which is ideal for whale watching though not great for birds. It didn’t really get much above 0°C all day today. There are lots of big icebergs everywhere and the ship’s officers have to be very careful especially at night. We are heading towards Elephant Island keeping our fingers crossed that the conditions remain calm enough to land. I saw my first Southern Fulmars in the evening.

Orcadas Base, South Orkney Is The Plancius at anchor off Laurie Island, South Orkney

Thursday 28th January, Elephant Island I was on deck early with fair numbers of birds including quite a lot of Southern Fulmar. It is still dead calm – eerily so. I did a long session on deck after breakfast keeping a sharp eye out for Antarctic Petrel without luck but there were numerous whale sightings with Humpback, Fin and Minke. We sighted Clarence Island at about 1pm and nudged into Point Wild on the north coast of Elephant Island at 3:50pm. It really was incredible to think of Shackletons’s twenty two men surviving here on a tiny spit of boulder for four and half months not knowing if they would ever be rescued and of Shackleton with five others setting off from this very spot 100 years ago in the James Caird to cross 800 miles of treacherous sea to seek help. Frank Wild must have been an exceptional man to have maintained discipline and morale in such inhospitable circumstances. There were thousands of Chinstraps on the triangular pyramid of the point and there were several Fin Whales feeding energetically offshore.

The boulder beach at Point Wild, Elephant Island where 22 of Shackleton’s crew waited 4½ months for rescue.

The crew went ashore to establish if it was safe to go through the brash ice laden swell. They came back with the exciting news that we can land! Jim has been here no fewer than seven times and never been able to land which shows just how fortunate we were. The ‘beach’ is so small we were divided into two groups, half to go out in zodiacs looking for whales whist the others went ashore and then vice versa. We did the zodiac cruise first. This was really exciting with enormous Fin Whales, second only in size to Blue Whales, surfacing yards from our inflatable. Seen from eye level one realises just how huge they are. There were so many of them they were popping up everywhere often unpredictably which was slightly nerve wracking. There were also lots of Chinstraps feeding around the zodiac too which was fun. After a brilliant hour with the whales it was our turn to go ashore. The boulder beach was covered in Fur Seals and huge numbers of Chinstraps many of which had young. There were also fascinating Sheathbills at our feet, Brown Skuas, and Kelp Gulls. It was really exciting standing on this historic spot and a place where so few people ever reach. We were all on a high this evening after another wonderful day.

Chinstrap Penguins at Point Wild, Elephant Island

Friday 29th January, Antarctic Sound I spent a couple of hours on the bridge wing before breakfast. It is still very calm with light winds and about 2°C. There were not many birds except for a few Cape Petrels and Southern Fulmar. There are icebergs everywhere. It was exciting coming into the Antarctic Sound and seeing the snow covered hills of the continental mainland for the first time. The sea was covered in ice and we had to weave our way south towards Brown Bluff passing the big Argentine colony of Esperanza.

Icebergs in the Antarctic Sound; Esperanza in the distance Not too many people using the ‘sun’ deck here

We saw our first Adelie Penguins sitting on ice flows. I was vigilant in my search for Emperor Penguins but there was no luck with this long shot. More alarmingly Antarctic Petrel was proving to be very elusive. We got offshore at Brown Bluff at about midday to find that the bay was far too iced up to make a landing. We re-traced our course northwards for a few miles and went into Hope Bay just over the hill from Esperanza with the intention of making a landing this afternoon.

Fin Whale almost too close for comfort Hope Bay filled with ice with the Plancius in the background

There were huge chunks of pack ice washed up on the shore and it was not immediately obvious that a route through could be found. The crew did a great job doing so and before long we were standing on Antarctica! This northward facing slope was essentially bare rock with a small amount of ice and no vegetation, but there was surprisingly a little stream of running melt water. The hill rising from the shore was covered with hundreds of thousands of wonderful Adelie Penguins and a small number of Gentoos, a few Kelp Gulls and Antarctic Terns. Of great interest were the large skuas. Some of these looked like South Georgia Sub-Antarctic Skuas, others presumably were hybrids but there were some small billed birds, a few of which were very pale, others brown with a prominent golden nape, which must have been South Polar Skuas.

Adelie Penguins at Hope Bay: Sensible Curious Bad hair

The Adelies have obviously had a very good breeding season and there were vast numbers of downy brown young chasing their parents for a meal. We took hundreds of photos of these great characterful birds and enjoyed just wandering amongst them. After a great couple of hours ashore we went on a zodiac cruise to the glacier at the head of the bay where there was a lot of ice. Here we saw two vast Leopard Seals hauled out on the ice as well as Crabeater and Weddell Seals. The Leopard Seals really are enormous; their huge reptilian grin looks very sinister.

More Adelie Penguin antics

We were back aboard after 6pm having had another really great afternoon. The plan is to go westwards round the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula through the Bransfield Strait to visit some spots on the western shore before heading north.

A couple of Antarctic ‘lookers’: Snowy Sheathbill and Leopard Seal

Saturday 30th January, Bransfield Strait, Antarctic Peninsula

I was up early for a couple of hours on deck before breakfast. Again it was eerily calm with virtually no wind and rather poor visibility and about 1°C. As we steamed through the Bransfield Strait there were quite a few large icebergs and numbers of birds including Southern Fulmar, Cape Petrel and Kelp Gull. I saw about 20-30 South Polar Skuas loafing on icebergs, behaviour I have not seen from Sub-Antarctic Skuas and I saw one harrying a Southern Fulmar. There is still no sign of Antarctic Petrel. I must have seen 20 - 25 Humpbacks and one Minke Whale before breakfast in the flat calm water. I saw Humpbacks feeding on krill lunging to the surface. The Minkes are shy and slip away from the ship and seldom re-surface. After breakfast a call came over the tannoy, which beams Big Brother-like into our cabins, to announce that Killer Whales were in front of the ship. We threw on our coats and rushed out to find a cold wind and sleet. There followed an incredible 40 minutes with a pod of c. 12 magnificent Orcas around the boat. The snow at first made photography difficult and the animals were moving fast but what an incredibly exciting sight. Everybody aboard was thrilled to see these wonderful predators. Shortly after the Orcas when most people had drifted back inside I had a great view of a single, lone and long hoped for Antarctic Petrel. It circled the ship very fast three times and was off. A couple of German passengers with limited English were rather alarmed at my hysterical leaping up and down and pointing out to sea for no apparent reason; they were the only others to see the bird and they weren’t in the slightest bit bothered.

Orcas in the Bransfield Strait

The weather closed in with increasing wind and poor visibility so we were unable to go out in the zodiacs into Cierva Cove. We continued south westwards past Portal Point in Charlotte Bay where there was still 30+ knots of wind making zodiac operations impossible. We continued south into the northern end of the Gerlache Strait and the more sheltered waters of Wilhelmina Bay. The sea here was an extraordinary brown soup colour rich in algae on which the krill feed in their billions and the whales in their turn on the krill. We achieved our most southerly position of the trip here at Wilhelmina at 64°40’ south. The bay was full of feeding Humpbacks and we had a great, but cold, couple of hours in the zodiac with the whales feeding right beside us. It was raining heavily to start with and photography was tricky. It did stop raining but remained very grey. We had the great sight of a Southern Fulmar catch and eat a transparent icefish right beside us. Watching the whales feed against the backdrop of glaciers, snow and ice of the great continent was really wonderful but by the time we got back aboard we were all very cold.

Humpback Whales in Wilhelmina Bay

The plan was to skip Deception Island and head for Half Moon Bay on Livingstone Island in the South Shetlands. Most people were disappointed by this; it didn’t really bother us and I would have preferred another wildlife spectacle at Half Moon but Jim Mayer being responsive to the mood re-organised our schedule and we are to go into Whalers Bay at Deception Island at 5am tomorrow morning.

Sunday 31st January, Deception Island, South Shetland Islands We got up before 5am to witness the ship passing through Neptune’s Bellows, the narrow entrance into the caldera of Deception Island. It was about 1°C, foggy and rather grim. We anchored in Whalers Bay, a desolate place with the remnants of a whaling station cum military base cum scientific station partially submerged in volcanic ash, the last eruption occurring in 1969. We went ashore for a wander but on such a gloomy morning and in a gale it was rather underwhelming especially after some of the other places we have seen.

Whaler’s Bay, Deception Island

Over breakfast we moved about 5 miles across the caldera to Telefon Bay where we again went ashore to walk up to the ridge overlooking the bay. The view over the moonscape with nothing but the odd patch of moss growing really is bleak. The visibility was less than 100 yards so we couldn’t even see the ship lying offshore. There were a couple of Gentoo and a few Chinstrap on the beach plus some Antarctic Shag and a few Sub-Antarctic and South Polar Skuas. There were also a few Elephant Seals ashore. Volcanic hot springs marginally increase the sea water temperature in the bay and it is tradition to swim here. In the biting wind there were only two souls brave enough. The water temperature was only 2°C. Rather them than me! At noon we steamed out seeing the French luxury cruise ship the Lyrial (sister ship to the Boreal that caught fire off the north coast of the Falklands a few months ago causing all the passengers to take to the lifeboats) at anchor in the spot we

had vacated hours earlier. Apparently all the stops are co-ordinated between the ship operators to avoid multiple ships turning up at the same place at the same time. We had a better view of the narrows on leaving where there were c. 20 Antarctic Shag on the cliff and breeding Cape Petrels. Shortly after lunch fog came down and there was a 30 knot headwind. Birds were very few and far between as we made our way past the South Shetland Islands through the Boyd Strait. I only saw two Grey headed Albatross, one Black bellied Storm Petrel and a few Cape Petrels which was disappointing as I thought this was a good area; maybe with better visibility I would have seen more.

Monday 1st February, at sea in the Drake Passage en route to Cape Horn I was up at 6:20 but again there was fog and only 50-100 yards visibility. It was cold, only about 2°C, drizzling and poor visibility with few birds seen. I did however see a Common Diving Petrel. The fog lifted in the afternoon and the deep swell died; in fact it was really pretty calm especially given the reputation of this stretch of water.

Tuesday 2nd February, at sea: Cape Horn to the Beagle Channel We were about 20 miles south of Cape Horn before breakfast. There was a 25-30 knot breeze from the NE making it the best part of 40 knots across the deck but not rough. Best of all the sea was covered with birds which was very nice after a couple of lean days. There were thousands of Sooty Shearwaters, hundreds of Black browed Albatross, a few Wanderers

Approaching Cape Horn

and both Northern and Southern Royals, c. 20 lovely Great Shearwaters and lots of White chinned Petrel, a single Slender billed Prion and one Wilson’s Storm Petrel. I saw one very interesting 3-4 year old great Albatross, an essentially brown bird with a white cheek patch and broad brown band across the breast. This seems identical to the description and photos in Shirihai for Tristan Albatross; Peter Ryan kindly reviewed the photos on my return and commented (contra Shirihai) that Dabbenena and Exulans may not be separable in this plumage but that tracking of a small number of Tristans has shown them to move eastwards towards South Africa (in other words in the opposite direction from Cape Horn). For those interested a photo of this bird is at the very end of this report. The Chilean Coast Guard allowed us to approach the Horn within three miles and the visibility was now fine so we had a good view of this iconic headland where the great oceans of the Pacific and Atlantic meet. We spent the day heading at reduced speed, as we had plenty of time, NE towards the mouth of the Beagle Channel. We were constantly surrounded by huge numbers of birds which was fun. There were lots of rufous looking Chilean Skuas and we saw one attack a Sooty Shearwater; the shearwater dropped its fish which the skua briefly held before also dropping it at which point it was grabbed by a Black browed Albatross. We had a couple of brief Hourglass Dolphin sightings in the northern Drake Passage but as we approached the Beagle Channel we frequently had both Dusky and Peal’s Dolphins around the ship. They were devilishly difficult to photograph as

they break the surface only for a split second but it was from photographs that I was conclusively able to identify them. At the mouth of the Beagle Channel there were vast rafts of Sooty Shearwaters on the sea which made a spectacular sight. There were also odd small groups of Magellanic Penguins.

Stunning sunset on our last evening in the Beagle Channel

We had the Captain’s final drinks followed by a rowdy last dinner during which we noisily showed our appreciation, one by one, for all the kitchen and domestic staff. After dinner there was a stupendous sunset and it was as still as a mill pond which was lovely. We enjoyed our last views of the sun drenched hills of Tierra del Fuego under a mackerel sky of more colours than you would think possible; we thought of the Bridges family working this land and of the tragic extermination of the native people who had flourished here for millennia. Over the last eighteen days the Plancius has been our wonderful, comfortable and safe home that has carried us 3537 nautical miles, we have seen some of the most remote, unspoilt places on earth and witnessed its greatest wildlife spectacles. We have trodden in the footsteps of one of the world’s greatest explorers and we enjoyed almost unprecedented benign weather and sea conditions.

Wednesday 3rd February, Ushuaia to Buenos Aires I set the alarm for 5:30am to enjoy a last hour or so on deck. This had nothing whatsoever to do with the fact that I would have loved to clinch Magellanic Diving Petrel! But it was a very grey dull morning and raining quite heavily. By 6am we were already close to Ushuaia but it was nice seeing my last Magellanic Penguins and Chilean Skuas. The poor weather today made us appreciate how lucky we had been three weeks ago when we were first here; 48 hours in dull damp conditions would not have been much fun. There was a bus to the airport and a routine flight to BA. Birds seen in the South Atlantic and Antarctica

Wildfowl

1 Falkland Steamer Duck Tachyeres brachypterus Up to 20 per day Carcass & Saunders Is and Stanley, Falkland Is

2 Upland Goose Chloephaga picta c. 100 Carcass & Saunders Is and c. 50 Stanley, Falkland Is

3 Kelp Goose Chloephaga hybrida c. 20 Carcass & Saunders Is; 2 Stanley, Falkland Is

4 Ruddy-headed Goose Chloephaga rubidiceps c. 20 Carcass Is; 2 Stanley, Falkland Is

5 Crested Duck Lophonetta specularioides 5 Carcass & Saunders Is; 1 Stanley

6 Yellow-billed (or Speckled) Teal

Anas flavirostris 2 Carcass & Saunders Is; 10 Stanley, Falkland Is

7 South Georgia Pintail Anas (georgica) georgica c. 10 per day on South Georgia; chicks at Prion Is

Falklands Steamer Duck Ruddy headed Goose Crested Duck

The incredible dimorphism of female & male Kelp Goose South Georgia Pintail in torrential rain

Penguins

8 King Penguin Aptenodytes patagonicus c. 30 on Saunders Is, Falkland Is; 100,000's at Salisbury Plain & St Andrews Bay; small numbers elsewhere in South Georgia

9 Gentoo Penguin Pygoscelis papua 100's Carcass & Saunders Is, 10 Stanley, Falkland Is; 200+ at Salisbury Plain, 10's per day elsewhere in South Georgia; 200+ Hope Bay, Antarctica

10 Adelie Penguin Pygoscelis adeliae 10,000's Hope Bay Antarctica; 10's on icebergs in the Bransfield Strait

11 Chinstrap Penguin Pygoscelis antarcticus c. 20 at sea of Drygalski Fjord, South Georgia; 100's Laurie Is, South Orkney and many 100's with young at Point Wild, Elephant Is; 5 Deception Is

12 Rockhopper Penguin Eudyptes chrysocome 100's with young Saunders Is, and small numbers at sea, Falkland Is

13 Macaroni Penguin Eudyptes chrysolophus 1 in the Rockhopper colony, Saunders Is; up to 100's per day at sea off South Georgia

14 Magellanic Penguin Spheniscus magellanicus 100's in the Beagle Channel and on Carcass Is, also Stanley, Falkland Is

Albatrosses

15 Wandering Albatross Diomedea exulans First seen between the mainland & Falklands; up to 5 per day at sea in South Georgia; c. 50 in and around Prion Is, Bay of Isles; c. 10 in the Drake Passage

16 Tristan Albatross Diomedea dabbenena A possible 3-4 year old bird off Cape Horn

17 Southern Royal Albatross Diomedea epomophora At least three sightings but many great albatrosses not specifically identified

18 Northern Royal Albatross Diomedea sanfordi At least 7 sightings, five of which in were in the northern Drake Passage, but many great albatrosses not specifically identified

19 Light-mantled Albatross Phoebetria palpebrata Four sightings including a pair in Cumberland Bay, South Georgia

20 Black-browed Albatross Thalassarche melanophris 100's per day around the Falklands, possibly 1000's off Staten Is, Argentina, 100's breeding on Saunders Is, Falklands; up to 50 per day in South Georgia waters; 100's in the Drake Passage

21 Grey-headed Albatross Thalassarche chrysostoma 13 widely spread sightings between Falklands and South Georgia, the Scotia Sea and Drake Passage

Juvenile King Penguin King Penguin chicks Gentoo Penguin with chick

Adelie Penguin chick Chinstrap Penguin with chick & egg Magellanic Penguin with chick

Penguins at sea: a Chinstrap feeding frenzy, King Penguins coming into shore Macaroni Penguin feeding in open water

Tubenoses

21 Southern Giant Petrel Macronectes giganteus 10's per day more or less throughout

22 Northern Giant Petrel Macronectes halli 10's per day but not as common as Southern; 100's per day in South Georgia

23 Southern Fulmar Fulmarus glacialoides Up to 100 per day in Antarctic Waters

24 Antarctic Petrel Thalassoica antarctica One in the Bransfield Strait, Antarctica

25 Cape Petrel Daption capense 10's seen most days; 100's per day in the Scotia Sea; appeared to be breeding at Laurie Is, South Orkney and Deception Is

26 Snow Petrel Pagodroma nivea First seen at Stromness and Grytviken; c. 100 in Drygalski Fjord, c. 100 in the Antarctic Sound, 2 in the Bransfield Strait

27 Blue Petrel Halobaena caerulea c. 50 around Cape Disappointment, South Georgia; 10 in the Scotia Sea; 2 in Antarctic waters

28 Antarctic Prion Pachyptila desolata Many 100's or 1000's per day around South Georgia and the Scotia Sea

29 Slender-billed Prion Pachyptila belcheri 100's per day in Falkland Is waters

30 Soft plumaged Petrel Pterodroma mollis Four sightings in South Georgia and the Scotia Sea

31 White-chinned Petrel Procellaria aequinoctialis Seen most days; up to 100 per day in South Georgia, 10's per day elsewhere except the Antarctic

32 Sooty Shearwater Puffinus griseus 100's per day in Falkland Is waters; many 1000's in the entrance to the Beagle Channel

33 Great Shearwater Puffinus gravis c. 90 seen in total mainly in Falkland Is waters

34 Wilson's Storm Petrel Oceanites oceanicus Possibly c. 1000 of Staten Is, Argentina; 10's per day except South Georgia where 100's/ 1000 per day; seen in 10's per day in Antarctic waters

35 Grey-backed Storm Petrel Garrodia nereis 1 west of Falklands; 20 between Falklands & South Georgia; 5 at the east end of South Georgia

36 Black-bellied Storm Petrel Fregetta tropica c. 25 seen between Falklands & South Georgia; up to 50 per day in the Scotia Sea and Antarctica

37 South Georgia Diving Petrel Pelecanoides georgicus At least one off Cape Disappointment, South Georgia

38 Common Diving Petrel Pelecanoides urinatrix 2 sightings between Falklands & South Georgia; c. 50 off Cape Disappointment, South Georgia; 1 in the southern Drake Passage

Sooty Shearwater Slender billed Prion Southern Fulmar

Black bellied Storm Petrel Wilson’s Storm Petrel Common Diving Petrel

Antarctic Prion Blue Petrel Snow Petrel

Herons & Cormorants

39 Black-crowned Night-Heron Nycticorax nyctocorax 1 Carcass Is, Falklands Is

40 Rock Shag Phalacrocorax magellanicus

c. 5 Stanley, Falkland Is

41 Imperial Shag Leucocarbo (atriceps) albiventer

1000's in the Beagle Channel; 10's per day in the Falklands; c. 100 Cape Horn

42 South Georgia Shag Leucocarbo (atriceps) georgianus

Up to c. 100 per day in South Georgia and the Scotia Sea

43 Antarctic Shag Leucocarbo (atriceps) bransfieldensis

c. 20 Deception Is

Raptors

44 Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura falklandia c. 30 sightings in the Falkland Is

45 Variable Hawk Buteo polyosoma One, Stanley, Falkland Is

46 Striated Caracara Phalcoboenus australis c. 30 Carcass & Saunders Is, Falkland Is

Striated Caracara Striated Caracara South Georgia Shag

Sheathbill & waders

47 Snowy (Pale faced) Sheathbill Chionis albus c. 50 St Andrews Bay, Godthul and Fortuna Bay, South Georgia; c. 10 Elephant Is and Hope Bay, Antarctica

48 Magellanic Oystercatcher Haematopus leucopodus c. 10 Carcass & Saunders Is, 2 with chicks, Stanley, Falkland Is

49 Blackish Oystercatcher Haematopus ater 5 Carcass & Saunders Is, Falkland Is

50 Two-banded Plover Charadrius falklandicus 4 with chicks, Stanley, Falkland Is

51 Rufous-chested Plover (Dotterel)

Charadrius modestus 4 with fledged juveniles, Stanley, Falkland Is

52 White-rumped Sandpiper Calidris fuscicollis One, Stanley, Falkland Is

Rufous chested Dotterel Two banded Plover Snowy Sheathbill

Gulls & Terns

53 Dolphin Gull Leucophaeus scoresbii Up to 50 per day in inshore Falklands waters

54 Kelp Gull Larus dominicanus 100's in the Beagle Channel; up to 50 per day Falklands, South Georgia (where well grown chicks), Elephant Is, Antarctica and Deception Is

55 South American Tern Sterna hirundinacea Up to 100 per day around the Falklands; c. 20 Bay of Isles, South Georgia

56 Antarctic Tern Sterna vittata Up to 100 per day around South Georgia where there were fledged juveniles and chicks and 50 per day in Antarctic waters

Skuas

57 Chilean Skua Stercorarius chilensis c. 20 on the outward leg of the Beagle Channel; c. 100 between Cape Horn the Beagle Channel on the homeward leg

58 South Polar Skua Stercorarius maccormicki c. 10 more or less pure birds at Hope Bay; c. 50 in the Bransfield Strait; c. 10 Deception Is

59 Falkland Skua Stercorarius (antarcticus) antarcticus

Up to fifty at Carcass & Saunders Is and c. 20 en route to Stanley, Falkland Is

60 Subantarctic Skua Stercorarius (antarcticus) lonnbergi

Up to 200 at Salisbury Plain, 100+ St Andrews Bay, smaller numbers elsewhere in South Georgia; 10's per day in Antarctic waters including what looked like pure lonnbergi breeding at Hope Bay, Antarctica

Antarctic Tern chick Antarctic Tern Kelp Gull

Subantarctic Skua, South Georgia Subantarctic Skua, South Georgia Falklands Brown Skua, Carcass Is

Chilean Brown Skua, Beagle Channel Probable lonnbergi, Hope Bay, Antarctica South Polar Skua, Bransfield Strait, Antarctica

Passerines

61 Blackish Cinclodes Cinclodes antarcticus c. 50+ on Carcass Is, Falkland Is

62 Dark-faced Ground Tyrant Muscisaxicola maclovianus 5 Carcass & Saunders Is, 3 Stanley, Falkland Is

63 Sedge (Grass) Wren Cistothorus platensis One, Carcass Is, Falkland Is

64 Cobb's Wren Troglodytes cobbi c. 5 Carcass Is, Falkland Is

65 Austral Thrush Turdus falcklandii c. 10 Carcass Is and c. 5 Stanley, Falkland Is

66 House Sparrow Passer domesticus c. 10 Stanley, Falkland Is

67 Correndera Pipit Anthus correndera One Carcass Is; c. 20 Stanley, Falkland Is

68 South Georgia Pipit Anthus antarcticus c. 20 Salisbury Plain where recently fledged young; also seen Prion Is, one Godthul; c. 10 Larsen Harbour, South Georgia

Sedge Wren Cobb’s Wren South Georgia Pipit

69 Black-chinned Siskin Carduelis barbata c. 10 Carcass Is, Falkland Is

70 Long-tailed Meadowlark Sturnella loyca 1 Carcass Is, Falkland IS

71 White-bridled (Black throated) Finch

Melanodera melanodera c. 20 Carcass Is, Falkland Is

White bridled Finch, male and female Black chinned Siskin

Long tailed Meadow Lark Correndera Pipit Blackish Cinclodes, an extremely localised species

Postscript

Part of a vast flock of Sooty Shearwatersentrance to the Beagle Channel A possible Tristan Albatross 20 miles south of Cape Horn