Farewell, Antarctica!
Day 15 – 21st January – written by Maddie
Today was our last landing day before we tackle the Drake Passage once again. We visited a chinstrap penguin colony on Half Moon Island and did behavioral observations one last time. Everyone was finally able to see chinstrap penguins, which means that we’ve seen a total of four penguin species: Adélie, gentoo, emperor, and chinstrap. From Half Moon Island we could faintly see an emperor penguin and there were a few Adélie penguins mixed in with the chinstraps, so we even got to see three species in one day.
Alice, my penguin observation partner, and I studied a chinstrap penguin nest up on a ridge, using our binoculars to make out the movements. Our penguin spent most of their time standing over their chick, with occasional bouts of head shakes and preening. I was also able to get some pictures of the colony after we completed our survey. Back on deck, I typed up our observations in a spreadsheet and took in the view one last time.
We’re now making our way to the Drake Passage, which is apparently experiencing four meter swells. I’ve already put on my seasickness patch, so fingers crossed I can pull through the next few days at sea. As soon as the ship pulled away from the landing site today, we began both marine mammal and seabird surveys on deck seven. I worked on the marine mammal team twice in the afternoon, both observing and recording. My groups saw humpback whales and a crabeater seal, but the other groups were able to see fin whales. When I heard the news, I dashed to grab my camera and made it on deck to just faintly see the blows. There were even more fin whale-shaped blows during dinner, so I am officially adding fin whales to my marine mammal list. All in all, it was a great day seeing new species. It’s odd to think that the trip is almost over, but I’m very grateful for all that we’ve been able to experience while in Antarctica.
