11/16: Plenty of Penguins on Antarctica's Barrientos Island!

According to the trip log we received on our last day of our ten-day trip through Antarctica, we had officially entered Antarctic waters on the morning of our second full day. That meant we crossed the famous Antarctic Convergence, a circumpolar current  conveniently drawn as a line undulating between 50 and 60 degrees South, and was also well defined by water temperature readings. We discovered it was sometimes marked by a belt of fog or mist where warm, when saline currents coming south from the tropics meet cold, denser, less saline currents moving to the north from Antarctica. 

Apparently, the mixing waters provided a perfect environment for abundant plankton that nourished huge numbers of sea birds and mammals. The crew in the engine room confirmed that the water temperature had dropped to close to one degree Celsius, a clear indication that we had crossed into the convergence.

One of the crew members said that the almost two days it had taken us to travel through the Drake Passage had been, on a scale from one to ten, an eight because of the amount of rolling on the waves. Though it was an eight, it still required our being very careful when moving around the ship holding onto handrails at every opportunity! I sure hated to think what less than an eight would have been like.

We learned there were 48,000 tourists to Antarctica each year, an area twice the size of the US, and considered the largest natural park in the world. By comparison, over a million tourists visit Tierra del Fuego National Park south of Ushuaia, where we had reservations to visit with a guided tour the afternoon after we landed back on shore.

Because the Antarctic environment was unique, great care needed to be taken to prevent the introduction of non-native species such as plants, seeds and animals. That was why we could never eat or drink anything on shore and we had to walk through a special solution just before leaving the ship so we wouldn't inadvertently transport something on the soles of our boots. 

During the mandatory morning briefing, we learned we needed to protect Antarctic wildlife by being aware of what was always directly around us, to talk in low voices around the animals, and never walk on penguin highways, because the penguins are creatures of habit and take the same path up hills! As many species nested in groups known as rookeries, we also needed to be aware of the periphery of a rookery and stay clear of it.

As weather in Antarctica can change in five minutes, we must always heed the advice of the crew leaders. The environment in Antarctica could be very dangerous and unpredictable because of hidden crevasses and extreme changes in weather. As a result,
caution was critical at all times as an emergency evacuation out of Antarctica could take days.

The first landing was planned on the afternoon of the second day on one of the Islands of the Aitcho Archipelago, charted and named in 1936 by the Discovery Investigations (1925-1939) for the Admiralty Hydrographic Office, i.e. H.O. They were later renamed after the phonetic spelling of these initials 'aitcho'. Around 4, we were between Greenwich and Robert Islands, approaching Barrientos Island located at the northeastern entrance of the English Channel. 

We were advised we will find volcanic rocks, and both Chinstrap and Gentoo penguins. If we were really lucky, we might also catch sight of whale seals and elephant seals. We should expect temperatures of 0 degrees Celsius or 32 degrees Fahrenheit. At noon, we'd entered the English Strait of Shetland Islands but we couldn’t see a thing because of the fog. Around 2:45, we saw land for the first time in over 40 hours - that was neat as the clouds slowly lifted to reveal the rocks!

I loved how the scenery changed every few minutes as the clouds rolled in and out to reveal a different glimpse each time.

Pablo, the crew expedition leader, reminded all the passengers that it will be unavoidable stepping on penguin poo when we go ashore. That will be our souvenir from Antarctica! The penguins look so white in photos but they’re normally really covered in poo! As some species were more vulnerable to disturbance, we had to be be even further away than five meters or about fifteen feet from penguins. Also, we were advised to never walk between a mum seal and her pup or between groups of seals.

It was quite a production each time we prepared to land via the zodiacs on a spit of land or ice! It involved putting on two extra pairs of socks, snow pants on top of long johns and pants, then a fleece jacket, then my winter jacket, the life vest and a pair of knee high rubber boots because the landings were all ‘wet ones’ which involved walking in up to two feet of water before hitting land. I found out later I was plenty warm but I much preferred having as many layers on with me rather than back on the ship.

All ready to go - I could hardly wait to get off the ship and see some penguins! 

Certainly needed more practice doing a selfie but I was on a zodiac that was moving at a good clip so that's my excuse!

My first impression was they were a lot smaller than I expected. Did you also think they would be bigger than this?

Pablo, our vastly entertaining crew leader:

The stench of the penguin poo was almost overpowering but one we had to get used to for each of our opportunities to be among the penguins.

Fun penguin facts: Penguins have no fat or feathers in their fins and feet – when they’re hot, they flap their fins to release the heat. 

Gentoo penguins can dive 175 feet for a maximum of seven minutes in diving time. They grow to 75-90 cms and weigh between five and nine kilos and have a white band that runs eye to eye with a red and orange beak. There were an estimated 314,000 pairs in Antarctica. 

Penguins are visual hunters so light is essential for them. Their main food is krill and crustaceans. Killer whales and sea lions are their predators. When they grow, penguins lose their plumage and molt. They must stay out of the water until they regain their feathers. 

Penguins group into reproductive colonies where there may be thousands of penguin couples. As an attraction for female penguins, males collect stones to build a nest. Partners are recognized by a distinctive call. Females may choose another partner if her former one did not return to build a nest - a fickle lot! 

Watching a presumably male penguin pick up a stone and carefully trot along with it in its beak until he reached a nest after understanding why was fascinating!

Penguins lay one egg per season. Penguin chicks hatch 20-30 days and both parents take care of the chicks on the ground for a few months from September to January before moving back to the sea. 

Breeding lasts between 20-30 days and both parents collaborate on it. They use singing to recognize their offspring.

Imagine trying to find your mate here!

We loved watching them hop across the snow, sometimes falling flat on their faces!

Just think of the stench of all the penguin poo here - I wish I could forget the memory!

Chinstrap penguins dive 100 feet for a maximum diving time of four minutes, weigh from three to five kilos and there were an estimated seven million pairs in Antarctica.

Ahh - a broken egg.

What a hoot it was to watch as the penguins waddled from side to side to walk!

We asked a member of the crew why the penguins had different colored feet and learned that it was dependent on the number of red blood cells. 

Oops - this one did a nosedive and fell flat on its belly!

Another broken egg:

I bet you thought I was kidding when I wrote about the 'penguin highway' earlier, huh! We just had to hop over it so as not to contaminate it.

One male was obviously interested in some ‘penguin love’ but the female wasn’t interested obviously so he gave up after a long while!

A video of the wannabe suitor:

Normally, Pablo said there would be snow at this time of the year even at the beach area. I had to think it was another result of climate change.

Even Steven who hates the cold couldn't help but smile at the great time we were having.

So sorry, we can't get the videos to load on the blog.

What a delight just standing in one place for a while and watching just one or two penguins to see what they did, how they moved, etc. This was a gentoo penguin.

Swimming penguins!

After about two hours, we had to leave the island and our first sight of the adorable penguins we were so lucky to see.

The zodiac drivers had to make several trips back and forth from the Ushuaia as each boat carried just eight people and there were 90 passengers. The nice thing was for those who wanted to stay longer ashore was to simply spend more time among the penguins and therefore be among the last to leave.

It was very chilly on the open water in such a tiny boat as we returned by zodiac to the mother ship!

The skies cleared that night before sunset so we had some great views as the ship sailed toward Brandsfield Strait. 

 

A sighting of some Orca whales was the perfect ending to a perfect day.

Next post: Mind blowing icebergs if I do say so myself!

Posted on December 12th, 2019, from the small former Jesuit town of San Cosme y San Damian in southern Paraguay.