THE FALKLAND ISLANDS, SOUTH GEORGIA AND THE ANTARCTIC

2024

Read blog...

Black-browed Albatross gliding effortlessly over the still waters off the coast of Southern Argentina. Their wingspan is between 2.1-2.5m and yet, it's only considered a medium sized albatross.

Striated Caracara preening its feathers on the cliffs at Coffin's Harbour, New Island (one of the Falkland Islands). This species (Phalcoboenus australis) is a near threatened bird of prey.

Black-browed Albatross pair bonding, up close.

There was a large colony of them alongside the Rockhopper Penguins at Coffin's Harbour, New Island.

Rockhopper Penguins either pair bonding or having a barney. It's hard to tell which from the photo.

That's more like it. Showing a bit more love.

Grooming each other like this is how they strengthen their bond, just like many other animals do.

Falkland Islands Imperial Shag.

A stunning bird that was also sharing the rocky cliffs at Coffin's Harbour, New Island.

You only see the crest when they are in breeding plumage.

Up Close And Personal.

The Imperial Shag is also known as the Blue-eyed Shag, for obvious reasons. The blue skin around the eye is such an amazing colour. So too is the orange coloured nasal knob.

Magellanic Penguin on the beach at North Harbour.

There are an estimated 100,000 pairs of this species on the Falkland Islands, which is likely to be less than 10% of the world population.

Leaping Out.

This was a truly memorable moment, as we watched the Gentoo Penguins at sea swimming to shore. Some really burst out of the water, leaping into the air, before landing on the beach.

Chinstrap Penguins marooned on a large iceberg. This is one of my favourite photos. The iceberg itself was stunning - its size, shape, contours and colour were all amazing - then, seeing the penguins stuck on it just made it even more special. I have no idea how they even got up there!

King Penguins preening their feathers, Fortuna Bay, South Georgia.

Two King Penguins stop to look around, and at each other, before continuing their walk along the beach at Fortuna Bay.

Reflections at Fortuna Bay.

As we were walking back from the main colony towards the beach, the last light of the day was shining on the mountains, which looked stunning in some of the still pools of water.

Antarctic Tern with a fish in its beak.

At Stromness a few pairs of terns were flying along the shoreline, hovering every now and then a metre or so above the water. Then suddenly, they would dive to the surface and grab and unsuspecting fish.

Two Antarctic Fur Seals play fighting in the water at Grytviken, South Georgia.

South Georgia Pintail, Godthul.

This endemic species was seen at quite a few of our South Georgia landings, but this was my favourite sighting, on higher ground above the bay.

South Georgia Pipit.

Another endemic bird species we were relieved to see on Godthul. They were a lot harder to spot than the Pintail. We were starting to wonder if we would find any, as our days in South Georgia were coming to an end.

Two young male Elephant Seals practise fighting on the beach at St Andrew's Bay.

They're preparing for the day they challenge the dominant male to a fight for the right to mate with the females. Their proboscis (nose) has not fully matured yet.

The Female Elephant Seal Choir.

The noise they were making was not very harmonious.

Notice the females don't have a proboscis like the males.

A Mother's Love.

By the time we were visiting South Georgia, the female Elephant Seals had already given birth to their pups. They were all less than a month old, as they were often seen suckling their mother. After this time, the mother leaves them and the pups must fend for themselves.

On The Move.

Antarctic Fur Seal at St Andrew's Bay using it's flippers to move around on land.

King Penguin Colony at St Andrew's Bay.

This is the largest colony of King Penguins in the world. It's amazing that an adult penguin can find its chick amongst the mass of them on the beach.

Brown Fluffy Chicks.

Their down fur isn't waterproof, so they remain on land, totally reliant on their parents for food, until they have developed their adult plumage.

Macaroni Penguin about to plunge into the water at Cooper's Bay, South Georgia.

Snow Petrel flying over the stunning blue water in Drygalski Fjord, South Georgia.

Porpoising Chinstrap Penguin.

Watching penguins porposing through the water like dolphins is now my favourite wildlife spectacle. Trying to photograph the moment they emerge and seemingly fly through the air is very challenging, but great fun!

Chinstrap Penguin leaping from one snow covered rock to another, as it makes its way from the shore towards the colony on Penguin Island, Antarctica.

Gentoo Penguin drinking water from a semi-frozen pool of water on Penguin Island, Antarctica.

Leopard Seal sleeping on an ice floe just off the shore at Penguin Island.

A group of penguins on an iceberg, just off the shore of Penguin Island.

It was such a treat to see the penguins whilst it was snowing!

Gen-two!

These were seen on our final morning in the Antarctic at Yankee Harbour.

A Tender Moment.

Mating Gentoo Penguins, also at Yankee Harbour.

The penguin colony at Yankee Harbour.

South Polar Skua flying over the penguin colony at Yankee Harbour.

The Loner.

It was a wonderful unexpected and very special moment to spot an Adélie Penguin amongst the mass of penguins at Yankee Harbour. We had very few sightings of this species.

On The Move.

It was remarkable to watch this Adélie Penguin glide across the snow. It used both its flippers and feet to propel itself along.

Gentoo Penguins Swimming.

There was a bit of a feeding frenzy just off the shore of the island with a mass of them all congregating in one area. I couldn't believe how close we were able to get to them.