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Antarctica, South Georgia & the Falkland Islands

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Antarctica, South Georgia & the Falkland Islands Antarctica, South Georgia & the Falkland Islands January 5 - 26, 2017 ARGENTINA Saunders Island Fortuna Bay Steeple Jason Island Stromness Bay Grytviken Tierra del Fuego FALKLAND SOUTH Gold Harbour ISLANDS GEORGIA CHILE SCOTIA SEA Drygalski Fjord Ushuaia Elephant Island DRAKE Livingston Island Deception PASSAGE Island LEMAIRE CHANNEL Cuverville Island ANTARCTIC PENINSULA Friday & Saturday, January 6 & 7, 2017 Ushuaia, Argentina / Beagle Channel / Embark Ocean Diamond Ushuaia, ‘Fin del Mundo,’ at the southernmost tip of Argentina was where we gathered for the start of our Antarctic adventure, and after a night’s rest, we set out on various excursions to explore the neighborhood of the end of the world. The keen birders were the first away, on their mission to the Tierra del Fuego National Park in search of the Magellanic woodpecker. They were rewarded with sightings of both male and female woodpeckers, Andean condors, flocks of Austral parakeets, and a wonderful view of an Austral pygmy owl, as well as a wide variety of other birds to check off their lists. The majority of our group went off on a catamaran tour of the Beagle Channel, where we saw South American sea lions on offshore islands before sailing on to the national park for a walk along the shore and an enjoyable Argentinian BBQ lunch. Others chose to hike in the deciduous beech forests of Reserva Natural Cerro Alarkén around the Arakur Resort & Spa. After only a few minutes of hiking, we saw an Andean condor soar above us and watched as a stunning red and black Magellanic woodpecker flew towards us and perched on the trunk of a nearby tree. We also saw chimango caracara, thorn-tailed rayadito, and Patagonian sierra-finch, amongst others. The flora was equally impressive—yellow and dog orchids grew beneath a canopy of tall, spindly lenga whose trunks and branches were festooned with thick growths of a hairy lichen, indicative of clear, unpolluted air. Clearings offered wonderful views of hanging glaciers in the mountains behind Ushuaia and of the wide glaciated valley of the Beagle Channel. In the late afternoon, we embarked the Ocean Diamond, our home for the next 17 days. With a blast on the ship’s horn, we eased away from the pier and out into the Beagle Channel. Our Antarctic adventure was underway! Sunday & Monday, January 8 & 9 At Sea / Saunders Island, Falkland Islands / West Point Island We awoke to a bright day in the Southern Ocean, with black-browed albatross, prions, giant petrels, and others surrounding us. Distant blows indicated the presence of whales and these were the subject of our first lecture this morning, by Conrad Field. Later, Jim Wilson excited not only the birders, but all of us, with his descriptions of the birds of the Falkland Islands, including the endemics which are found only there. Following lunch, we stepped out on deck to look for the variety of local wildlife, before an afternoon of mandatory safety briefings on Zodiac and kayak operations. Later, Rob Dunbar from Stanford gave his presentation, Introduction to the Southern Ocean: The Crazy Different Seas that Surround Antarctica, before it was time for the captain’s welcome reception and dinner. An early start saw us make our first Zodiac landing on the white-sand beaches of Saunders Island where dolphin gulls, striated caracara, and Falkland flightless steamer ducks—as well as the local islanders—were waiting to welcome us. A hike up and along the hillside took us to a rookery of comical rockhopper penguins, and on for a wonderful view of black-browed albatross sitting on their chimney-pot nests with their down-covered chicks. Back on the beach, Magellanic penguins left their peaty burrows and wandered across the sand to the sea, and king penguins stood on the beach or in a cluster amongst scattered rookeries of gentoo penguins. We returned to the ship pleased to have not one but four penguin species under our belts. After brunch, Tom Sharpe described the geological origins of the Falkland Island rocks, and how they had once been part of South Africa, before we went ashore on West Point Island. A walk up a long gentle slope took us to the opposite side of the island where the slopes of a small headland called Devil’s Nose were home to colonies of rockhopper penguins and black-browed albatross. Jim had marked out a wonderful trail through the maze of tall tufts of tussock grass to give us the best-ever views of these birds, especially the albatross, who sat unphased as we passed nearby. Some of us walked and others took a ride in a local Land Rover back to the settlement near the landing site, where the island’s residents had prepared tea for us and a remarkable spread of homemade cakes and biscuits. Tuesday, January 10 Stanley By breakfast time, we were moored alongside at Stanley where buses shuttled us to the Jetty Visitor Centre in town. From there we set off to birdwatch, headed out on a sightseeing walk, or to explore and shop on our own. A highlight—in addition to the opportunities for some retail therapy—was the wonderful museum with its informative exhibits on the history of the Falkland Islands, including the 1982 Argentine invasion, as well as displays on island life and maritime and natural history. A gallery devoted to Antarctica gave us a fantastic introduction to our upcoming visit to the Peninsula. On the outskirts of town, our birders were successful in their quest to see the rare ruffous-chested dotterel, as well as the Falkland pipit and long-tailed mead- owlark, while along the waterfront, they had great views of the Falkland flightless steamer duck. Once back on board for lunch, we sailed out of Stanley Harbor into freshening winds. The birders took up position on deck to view the petrels, penguins, and albatross around us in the water or in the air, and had exceptional views of gray- backed storm petrels. Our kayakers had the first of their briefings this afternoon to prepare them for polar kayaking, after which historian T. H. Baughman held us spellbound with the incredible story of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition: a great story, well told. After recap and dinner we put our watches and clocks forward one hour to move us onto Grytviken time. Wednesday - Friday, January 11 - 13 At Sea / Grytviken, South Georgia / Fortuna Bay / Stromness Our two days at sea were packed with lecture presentations from our expedition team and important briefings to make sure that we leave behind as little trace as possible of our visits to South Georgia and Antarctica. From Rob, Tom, Conrad, and Jim, we learned about the geology, seals, and bird life of South Georgia and the Scotia Sea, and from T.H. about Shackleton’s finest hour, the Nimrod expedition. Later, we disinfected all of our outdoor gear to minimize the risk of introducing seeds of alien plants into the pristine wilderness of South Geor- gia. On our second day at sea, we spooted the jagged rock pinnacles of Shag Rocks, home to a thousand pairs of imperial (blue-eyed) shags. We also saw black-browed and wandering albatross soaring around us, as well as humpback, fin, and minke whales. Blue skies and bright sunshine greeted us as we arrived off King Edward Point, and cruised via Zodiac to the old whaling station of Grytviken. The story of this industry in South Georgia is told in the wonderful little museum, run by the South Georgia Heritage Trust. We also heard about the trust’s recent rat-eradica- tion program; it was so successful, the numbers of the endemic South Georgia pipit have boosted and are now often seen in many more places than before! We made a pilgrimage to the grave of Sir Ernest Shackleton who lies in the whaler’s cemetery at Grytviken, and toasted his memory with Irish whisky. As we sailed out from Grytviken, we had stunningly clear views of the high snowy mountains of the Allardyce Range; but by the time we had sailed around to Fortuna Bay, the sky was overcast and the clouds were descending upon the mountains. Some of us landed at the head of the bay and hiked across the outwash plain of the Konig Glacier to a colony of king penguins and their chicks, the woolly oakum boys, and enjoyed great views of the endemic South Georgia pipit. Others hiked up and over a high pass and down near a waterfall into a broad valley, ending at the old whaling station of Stromness. These were the last few miles of the route taken by Shackleton, Crean, and Worsley as they crossed the mountainous interior of South Georgia in 1916 to seek help from the Stromness whalers for the rescue of the men marooned on Elephant Island. Dressed in our high- tech clothing and boots, we were in awe of the courage, fortitude, and tenacity of Shackleton and his companions who made this journey a hundred years ago. Saturday, January 14 Gold Harbour / Drygalski Fjord With winds rising and the weather changing, we headed down to the south end of the island for an early morning landing at Gold Harbour, an amphitheater of high mountains and hanging glaciers. The beach was packed with wildlife—huge elephant seals lazed in heaps on the sands, while fur seals and their pups frolicked in the surf right at our landing site; penguins, both gentoo and king, strolled back and forth between their colonies and the sea; and skuas and giant petrels patrolled the shore in search of the weak, dying, and dead.
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