Sam's Christmas Part 2 - Christmas Day

You already know from Linda that we spent the morning on Penguin Island, a small island off the southern coast of King George Island in the South Shetland Islands. 

 

We went separately because the plan had been for the snorks to do a landing then snorkel, with the snorkel cancelled last minute. 

 

The 3 species of brushtail penguins on the island - a chinstrap; and an adelie together with a gentoo penguin right at the beach landing.

There were 3 sites we could go to, time permitting, apart from our immediate landing spot. The first, down along the beach, was a collection of whale bones. Some other animal remains were scattered along the path on the way there.

The 2nd site was a chinstrap colony where we also saw giant petrels occasionally surveying the penguin colonies for young chicks, of which there were a few. I spent too long there and didn't make it to the 3rd site with time enough to get back. This site was Deacon Peak, a volcano which was last known to be active 300 years ago. 

In the afternoon we landed at Turret Point on King George Island. The landscape is exquisitely dramatic.

We were restricted in access by the elephant seals piled up at various points, mostly snoozing, burping and farting with gusto. They are mostly weaners and are molting - which they need to do before they can head out to sea.

Some are a little friskier. In our lecture we heard these ones are probably at the beginning of sexual maturity but not old or big enough to challenge the reproducing males. So they practice on each other, and even though sometimes it looks like they're laughing up a storm, I'm pretty sure we're supposed to understand they're ferociously fierce. 

 

We finished the night with a 5 course meal which included (for me anyway) bisque, duck salad and scallops. Will save those pics for a food post. A very full and happy Christmas.