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Antarctica, February 2004
Saul McIntyre

Hiya, I've managed to crop my Antarctic pics so they are small enough to
send as email attachments.
I've included here The Striated Caracara, Gentoo creche, gentoo, chinstrap,
dolphin gull, snowy sheathbill, various kings and a whale fluke. Edit as you
wish, copyright me.

I booked my 21 night cruise of Antarctica, The Falklands and South Georgia back in March 2003 via the internet then spent the next 10 months fretting about it. My previous two holidays saw me hostelling in Scotland and I hadn't flown for 16 years so it was a bit of a daunting prospect. But I wanted to go on a ship far out at sea and I wanted to see whales. I also expected to see the odd Albatross and I knew I would be seeing Penguins. However the numbers and proximity of the penguins was something no-one could be prepared for.

After reaching Ushuaia on the tip of Tierra del Fuego my absolutely first act was to get a local bird book and I managed to get the last English copy in the shop. I quite expected every bird I saw to be something new but I hoped that the general "jizz" of things down there would be same as up here and I'd muddle along. Everything was mostly familiar. After all a Pipit is a Pipit no matter what part of the globe you find yourself but the names change so, for instance, the South American version of the wheatear family are called Ground Tyrants.

After a trip into Ushuaia's National Park to see Southern Upland Geese, Spectacled Ducks, Flightless Steamer Ducks and various Caracaras we boarded our Russian ex scientific ship which would be home for 18 nights. After sailing out towards The Falklands under a fantastic sunset I was determined to be on deck as early as possible the next morning as I did not want to miss a single Petrel, Albatross or Prion.

5am saw me on deck and I was not disappointed. As first light arrived so did Black Browed Albatross a species which was to become almost a constant companion for the next few weeks. The Southern Giant Petrel was also present and would be so abundant during the trip it quickly became known simply as SGP.

Although a birder for over thirty years I would have been totally out of depth with most of the species circling the boat during the next couple of days. Fortunately there was a specialised birdwatching group on board and their leader would set up shop every morning on the wings of the bridge and proved to be an excellent reference point whenever a shout went up and a new Petrel, Prion or Albatross was spotted.

As we approached the Falklands we began to spot our first Dolphins swimming alongside the ship together with our first glimpses of Penguins and the Thin Billed Prions which nest on the Islands in their thousands. We weighed anchor off West Point and went ashore in inflatables. Back on land we spotted Austral Thrushes, Snipe, Pipits, Tussock Birds, Crested Duck and the brilliant red throated Long Tailed Meadow Lark. However the birds we had landed to see were Rockhopper Penguins and we visited a nest site they shared with Black Browed Albatross. At the time everyone seemed really excited at their first encounter with Penguins even though they were half way up a cliff! The other major bird was the Striated Caracara or Johnny Rook, a large, inquisitive and rather unafraid bird of prey that was almost wiped out on the Islands by sheep farmers. As farming is increasingly being superseded by tourism on the Islands the birds are starting to recover.

Next we visited Carcass Island where we has our first really close encounters with both Megellanic and Gentoo Penguins. The Gentoos stood in a large circular crèche containing many young with adults an the perimeter. We were able to sit near the crèche and get a really good look at the birds. Occasionally a Turkey Vulture would circle overhead or the a chick would chase a parent demanding to be fed and the harassed parent would tear of in any direction to escape.

We received great hospitality from the residents of these Islands who fed and watered everyone before we left. We had a day exploring Port Stanley before setting off for South Georgia. On the way we got our first views of icebergs and both Wandering and Royal Albatross plus more species of Petrel and Storm Petrels. Plumes of spray from distant whales caused much excitement and as we travelled further towards the Antarctic Convergence the sheer numbers of birds surrounding the ship increased. After two days sailing we reached South Georgia and one cold misty morning found us exploring the rugged bays in our inflatables. As the mist rose we saw Macaronis on the rocks and swimming alongside plus our first sight of King Penguins huddled on the beaches. Here we also braved the swell to get really close to the rocks in order to see one of the rarest birds, the South Georgia Pipit. The non-birders really could not see what the fuss was about!

As the last of the mist rose and we headed back to ship we were overwhelmed by clouds of Thin Billed Prions that seemed to cover the water as they made their way back from the open sea to their nests. Buoyed by our first experiences of South Georgia we set course for Salisbury Plain where we would land. As we approached we could see the beach and surrounding hills were one enormous colony of Kings. On landing we were told not to approach a penguin within 5 metres but if you were to sit still and wait for them to approach then it would be alright. It was truly amazing just to sit on a rock and have these wonderful, huge birds walk right up to me. The noise and smells will remain with me forever. There were approximately 20,000 pairs and each pair had a large, fat fluffy chick. Early explorers thought they were two distinct species and Christened the chicks Woolly Penguins. We were able to make our way through the colony and onto some high ground where the sheer scale of the spectacle below took the breath away. Absolutely unbelievable!

The next day we visited Ernest Shackleton's grave at Grytviken. Once the base for the South Atlantic whaling fleet the port is now home to seals who lounge on the slipways and beaches. So different from the hell on earth it used to be at the height of the slaughter. Back on board the weather suddenly got up and in the teeth of force 9 winds and a swell that was lashing the 5th deck we first sheltered behind a mile long iceberg then made a run for it, south towards the Antarctica itself. During this enormous storm it was still possible to see various Storm Petrels treading water despite the huge swells. Two days later we reached Elephant Island where Shackleton and his men had been stranded for months and later that day we set foot on the continent to encounter our sixth Penguin, the Adelie. Again the best course of action was just to sit still and let them approach. Here we also saw the more gruesome side of life in a rookery as an Antarctic Skua took a Penguin chick. Unfortunately the Skua is more a pirate than a bird of prey and had a great deal of difficulty finally subduing the chick which resulted in a prolonged and grim spectacle. Later that day we clocked our seventh Penguin, the Chinstrap. Which was nice! We also encountered Snowy Sheathbills which look like a cross between a large white chicken and a Pigeon. They live in Penguin colonies and eat such treats as guano, regurgitated krill and any other unsavoury items they can find.

The next few days belonged to Whales. Gone were the distant sprays from a mile away and instead we were treated to spectacles such as Minke bow riding and swimming under the inflatable, Humpbacks fluking and leaping yards from the boat and allowing incredibly close encounters as we drifted up to sleeping individuals. Everything I wanted to see and experience came true. Here I was in an inflatable, in Antarctica, with Dolphins, Whales and Seals everywhere, Penguins in their thousands and Albatross overhead. Snow Petrels were a treat also as they circled icebergs.

We finally had to leave and headed North for the Cape and back to Ushuaia then home via beautiful Beunos Aires where the girls are pretty and the steaks are cheap. The evening I got back to Sheffield I booked next years trip, India in February, primarily to see Tigers but I understand Paul Medforth went there this year and saw around 400 bird species so the quest for a good bird guide has begun.

The majority of people on board had the most hi-tech camera equipment but I made do with a simple £70 Nikon and I'm pleased with the results. Mind you when a King Penguin which is over three feet tall is casually standing a few feet away it really doesn't take David Bailey to get a good picture. The most fantastic trip I'm likely to ever go on.

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