PolarQuest’s guides are blogging from Ocean Nova on the trip Antarctica, South Georgia and the Falkland Islands.
It couldn’t get any better could it? We had already seen so much! So many inspiring, uplifting, jaw-dropping, unbelievable, incredible, fantastic, special, magnificent, and breathtaking experiences and while we were only just over half way through our expedition, we were fast running out of words to describe it. ‘Nice morning’ we’d say to each other while heading back to ship, then a smile of shared understanding that it was a super day that had bombarded the senses and left us quite speechless!
Great weather and recharged from a deep nights rest, we were indulged with a long morning to draw breath and soak up at a very relaxed pace this wonderful place. Gold Harbour has proven to be the pinnacle of eccentric wildlife viewing so far, all co-existing on and around one sweeping crescent shaped beach, snow capped mountains providing a movie set backdrop. These creatures spend most of their life at sea, only visiting land to breed and moult.
In the Bay, the mosaic of different species living in niche zones in such close proximity to one another, is quite terrific to take in, and challenging not to be overwhelmed.
Giant Elephant bull seals weighing in at a frightening three tonnes, patrolled the waterline, issued throaty warning grunts then charged each other, rising up to fight violently for their lineage. Female elephant seals suckled crying newborn cubs amid the chaos, while King and Gentoo penguins carefully zigzagged through to colonies in non-seal territory. Male fur seals awaiting females assumed any vacant areas from beach to hilly tussock. Skuas, Petrels and Sheathbills watched patiently nearby for any signs of vulnerability that might become dinner. Every animal has its place.
On high ground enchanting lightly mantled Sooty Albatross were nesting, crooning and engaging in intimate aerial courtship displays and a burrowing White chinned petrel colony peppered the bluff.
At Coopers Bay, we slipped through swell to view a Macaroni penguin colony, took a zodiac cruise to see Chinstraps, Antarctic terns flittering all around us, arriving back to our ship to watch alpine clouds kiss snow clad mountains goodnight.
