Trip reports
Indoor Meeting: SPIRIT OF SHACKLETON
Robin Boutell (rspb-images.com)
Tuesday, 20 January 2009
Nick took the precaution of allowing himself a few days grace in Ashuaia before embarking on the ship in case his luggage went astray as a fortnight at sea without luggage did not appeal. With a spare day to enjoy the crisp, clear air of the city with impressive mountains behind it, he took a bus to the Tierra del Fuega National Park in which the trees are mainly various species of beech, reaching to a tree-line at three thousand feet. There he approached quite closely, and photographed, a Magellanic Woodpecker, with its red head and large red crest.
At that time Nick did not have a digital camera allowing large numbers of shots. So he took a limited number of films, rationing himself to being very selective with about fifteen photographs per day. As his talk revealed, perhaps this was not quite the hardship it seemed since the mammals and birds were so tame they could be approached, or indeed themselves approached, quite closely. They often just stood or sat or, in the case of seals, lay there giving him time to choose and frame subjects.
For the start of the cruise, the ship sailed north to the Falkland Islands. There was an ample number of zodiacs to transport passengers ashore. As the crew were very conscious of the possible spread of contamination, Wellington boots were disinfected before embarking on the zodiacs to go ashore; before returning to the zodiacs the boots were again disinfected and once more on boarding the parent ship. The first landfall was near the Falklands on Carcass Island with a beach of sand so very fine that it could easily penetrate and disable a camera. On the island were endemic flightless Steamer Ducks, Red-headed Geese and a colony of Magellanic Penguins. The latter lay their two eggs in burrows. One theory is that as they are quite a northern species this keeps them cool but Nick considered it more likely to be a defence against the predatory Striated Caracaras. In the ten years to 2002 the 80% decline in numbers of the Magellanic Penguin may be related to the increase in commercial fishing for squid and fish.
On Steeple Jason island were the nests of 140,000 Gentoo Penguins which lay two eggs and rear two young. These penguins were very tame and would approach people. Here too, is the largest colony in the world of Black-browed Albatrosses of which the numbers have declined greatly due to long-line fishing. The lines extend for miles astern of the fishing boats and take some time to sink. Birds that take the bait are hooked and drowned when the lines sink. There are methods to reduce the fatalities but these need to be enforced. [Ed: Go to http://www.rspb.org.uk/supporting/campaigns/index.asp to see what you can do to help the RSPB stop this happening] Within the albatross colony Rockhopper penguins nested. There were also members of one of the four very similar species of Brown Skuas which are just like Bonxies
On Falkland Island itself it seemed a bit strange that sterling was accepted. Parts are still out of bounds due to uncleared minefields. But it was possible to visit areas of tussock grass, home to a number of endemics, and to see Rock Shags and Black-crowned Night Herons on cliffs.
From the Falklands the ship sailed southwards to South Georgia. There was an open bridge policy which allowed passengers to visit the bridge at any time, a privilege of which Nick made full use as it was an ideal place to watch albatrosses and petrels.
At a landing in South Georgia were 40,000 nesting pairs of King Penguins which nest twice in three years so there were both eggs and young in moult. The King Penguin is the largest in the world, being just slightly taller than the Emperor. The egg is carried on the top of the feet and protected by an overhanging flap of skin. Predation by skuas results in a high infant mortality. The juveniles, which look as if they are covered with thick, brown wool, are called oakumbags as they reminded sealers of the tarry rope used to caulk the seams of wooden vessels. Mammals were represented by Southern fur seals, which are actually sea-lions, and by immense elephant seals.
The voyage continued south towards the Antarctic peninsula. This was about as far south as they went but still 2,700 kilometres from the south pole. An island was visited to see displaying Wandering Albatrosses, immense birds with a wingspan of twelve feet. These birds are declining at 1% annually. The adults with young go to sea to feed and return every two to three weeks to feed their chicks. In the colony of albatrosses were Southern Giant Petrels while Southern fur seals were on the shingle beach.
A landfall on the peninsula gave breeding Gentoo Penguins on nests, these like Macaroni and Adelie Penguins lay two eggs. There he observed penguins bunching up on the edge of the ice, plucking up courage as it were, before plunging into the water where leopard seals might be hidden. Elsewhere was a breeding colony of 125,000 King Penguins. It was possible to approach them closely enough to get a good view of the adults feeding the young. The young were very curious about people. Like other birds, penguins sleep with the head under a wing, or in this case, a flipper.
In a bay, humpback whales were bubble fishing. They swam round below krill, releasing air bubbles to form a cylindrical curtain in which the krill are concentrated then, open-mouthed, the whales surge upwards through the mass of prey.
It was then time to return to Ashuaia, crossing Drake's Passage, most unusually flat calm and lacking birds as albatrosses and petrels need wind for their effortless flight. This, too, brought an end to a most interesting talk. Nick's delight in his trip was well conveyed to the large audience which he deservedly had attracted.