Wine, Penguins & More

What a way to end 2023 and welcome in 2024 - on New Years Eve in the afternoon, we landed on D'Hainaut Island in the Antartica Peninsula and walked on the 7th continent.  This was a lifetime milestone for me and one that met/exceeded my expectations.  The island is home to a large rookery of Brush-Tailed penguins that at first glance look like the Gentoo Penguins that we saw earlier in the day.  The penguins pick this place for their nests because of the snow free ground and they are able to lay eggs earlier in the season.  The lazy seals that you will see in the attached images are Weddell Seals - the seals could not be bothered with all of the activity on the island - they simply slept the afternoon away.  

The first impression on the island is the constant "banter" of the penguins and the activity to establish their nests.  It was enjoyable to get off the ship and actually be on land for a short hike in the fresh snow.  The Naturalist Team that accompanies us on the ship organized a trail that provided close proximity to the island inhabitants.  

Once back on-board we celebrated the New Year with dinner, including a great Malbec wine from Mendoza followed by music to ring in the New Year.  Today is a New Year and hopefully will be a day of new discovery!  Hope each of you enjoyed a great and safe New Years Celebration.  

































Comments

  1. Paula ClemensJanuary 1, 2024 at 1:16 PM

    Love the pictures! We didn’t see the Brushed-tailed penguins when we were there. They are interesting. Looks COLD, but beautiful. It’s a place you will never forget.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Image
Wine Penguins & More      Yesterday (12/28), we traveled from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia via a charter flight - Jet Smart with 200 people starting our Antartica adventure.  The conditions upon arrival in Ushuaia were 39 degrees with intermittent rain and snow showers.  The surrounding peaks were covered with a "fresh" layer of snow - it is summer in South America, but at the "Bottom of the World" any weather is possible.  Before boarding our expedition ship - Scenic  Eclipse, we ventured to Isabel, Cocina al disco for a lunch meal of King Crab.  The King Crab was not presented in the traditional "claws" way, but instead in a cast iron skillet with crab, saffron rice & potatoes - perhaps, better labeled as a king crap stew - it was delicious and quite filling.  Of course, some fine Argentinian "vino" was also paired with the crab.   We left the port of Ushuaia around 6:30 PM headed for Antartica - the seas have a slight roll with 2 t...
Read more
Image
Wine Penguins & More January 4, 2024 - morning excursion Fournier Bay, Antartica - whales, icebergs & more      Another morning of spectacular scenery in Fournier Bay - the zodiac excursion started in the nearby ice fields with some beautiful floating icebergs.  We found several Wendell seals lounging on the surfaces, but the best was yet to come as we ventured closer to the entrance of the bay in search of humpback whales.  We found a pod of at least 5 and perhaps 6 humpback whales feeding on krill.  We actually were close enough to the pod that we could clearly see the "bubble" rings they created to capture the krill - unbelievable sight and sound from these beautiful creatures - enjoy the attached video.  Humpback Whales Feeding on Krill   Blue Diamond Iceberg Scenic Eclipse 1 Flock of Sea Birds Resting Lone Cormorant Icebergs Reflection
Read more
Image
  Penguins On New Years Eve We finally completed the crossing of the Drake Passage and woke-up to an incredible view in a massive cove (Cierva Cove) on the Antartica Peninsula.  The temperature today is 30 to 34 degree with broken cloudy skies.  Our Norwegian guide on the zodiac is named Rune.  The morning zodiac trip is an hour-plus cruise around this scenic cove.  In the afternoon, we take a second zodiac trip and go ashore with our first steps on the Seventh Continent at the "Bottom of the World".   Today, we saw gentoo and chinstrap penguins - no seals, sea lions and/or whales in this cove, but lots of beautiful icebergs.  On average, the ice berg size you see above the surface of the sea represents 10% of the total iceberg "mass".  The colors also tell a story ie, the darker shade of blue means the iceberg is older and the color happens because the oxygen is squeezed out of the ice.  When you see what appears to be a black color iceberg ...
Read more