HALF MOON ISLAND

Wednesday PM, 20 Feb 08, MS Nordnorge, south end of Drake Passage

HALF MOON ISLAND

Helen is feeling a little humble
For having taken a little tumble
And thereby having discovered
What its like to be covered
In back with penguin guano.

Helen was backing up toward some penguins intending to have me take her picture. I told her not to go too far, but she kept going. Then she moved to sit down on a little rock. And in trying to sit on it, she fell over backwards behind it. Everything there is all rocky, but she wasn’t hurt at all. One of the guides came right up, and he and I helped Helen get up. The back of her jacket and her camera bag were all covered with penguin poop. As we got back onto the ship, she had a crew member hose her down. Then she put the jacket and camera bag in the wash machine.

It was fairly warm, but it was rather windy. In fact, it was borderline windy. Had it been any windier, we would not have landed. Returning on the boat to the ship was a bumpy ride, and we were sprayed with cold salt water.

Half moon Island is a rocky little Island, and there wasn’t any snow, at not least where we were. We saw chinstrap penguins, a different species than we’ve seen before. We saw a seal in the distance. We saw skuas, kelp gulls, and snowy sheathbills. I learned that sheathbills not only eat penguin excrement but “of course” also eat penguin flesh – if the penguin is already dead. (I think it would only be a very small penguin chick that a little sheathbill could kill.) One of the guides said there had been Antarctic terns flying overhead. Another guide said she hadn’t seen any. Not knowing what one looks like, I don’t know if I saw any. I did see skuas and gulls in the air as well as on the ground. I got photos of a skua eating a penguin carcass.

This is from today’s program sheet: “Half Moon Island is a two-kilometer-long (1.2 miles), crescent-shaped island in the shadow of the picturesque mountains and glaciers of nearby Livingston Island. It is a favored expedition stop for a its large chinstrap penguin rookery. Other than a short hill, walking is generally easy. The serrated and crevassed cliffs are also home to Antarctic terns, kelp gulls, snowy sheathbills, and Wilson’s storm petrels. Landings are usually made on an easily accessible, wide beach where an abandoned dory lies decaying. Once up the hill, there are magnificent views of Livingston Island and humpback whales have been spotted breeching in the water between the two islands. Down towards the western end of the beach is Teniente Camara station with its huge Argentine flags emblazoned on the orange buildings. The station operates as a summer base only. This will be our only opportunity to see chinstrap penguins in significant numbers.”

MISCELLANEOUS:

An Arctic Circle Boat is powered by a Yamaha 80 outboard motor. I’d like to look up its horse power rating on the Intenet.

:-)

Bernie