Antarctica, South Georgia & the Falkland Islands Field Report
Antarctica, South Georgia & the Falkland Islands January 24 - February 14, 2019 ARGENTINA West Point Island Elsehul Bay Salisbury Plain Stromness Bay Grytviken Tierra Stanley del Fuego FALKLAND SOUTH Gold Harbour ISLANDS GEORGIA Drygalski Fjord SCOTIA SEA Ushuaia Elephant Island DRAKE Spightly Island PASSAGE Port Lockroy/ Cuverville Island LEMAIRE CHANNEL Wilhelmina Bay ANTARCTIC PENINSULA Saturday, January 26, 2019 Ushuaia, Argentina / Embark Island Sky Having arrived at the Arakur Hotel & Resort in Ushuaia the day before, and caught up on at least some sleep overnight, we set out this morning to explore Tierra del Fuego National Park. Guided by our ornithologist, Jim Wilson, our birders were first out, keen to find their target species, the Magellanic woodpecker. In this they were more than successful, spotting five, both males and females. Meanwhile, the rest of us boarded a catamaran and sailed the Beagle Channel towards the national park. En route we visited several small rocky islands, home to South American sea lions, imperial and rock cormorants (or shags), and South American terns. Disembarking in the national park at Lapataia Bay, we enjoyed lunch and walking trails through the southern beech forest with views of the Beagle Channel and Lago Roca before heading back to Ushuaia by bus. Awaiting us there was our home for the next few weeks, the Island Sky. Once settled in our cabins, we went out on deck to watch the lines being cast off and we sailed out into the Beagle Channel. Our Antarctic adventure had begun! Sunday, January 27 At Sea Our day at sea began with Jim introducing us to the birds of the Falkland Islands, and preparing us for our upcoming wildlife encounters.
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