Sunday 15 March 2020

Antarctica 27th December 2019

Our plan for today was to head down to Esperanza Research Base. This wasn't to be as all routes into it were blocked by sea ice. This research station hit the headlines recently when it recorded a record-breaking temperature of 18.3 degree Celsius on 8th February of this year. We had about 5 degrees Celsius when we were there. Quite a change in six weeks and a worrying development.
 https://www.onegreenplanet.org/environment/antarctica-registers-its-hottest-temperature-yet/
Sitting on the ice were a few Adelie Penguins hauled up on the ice, the first of the trip. These along with Emperor Penguin are the only species of penguin that are restricted to breeding in the Antarctic. Chinstrap and Gentoo Penguins also breed here but also on sone of the sub-Antarctic islands. I was lucky to get decent scope views of a single Snow Petrel patrolling up and down a line of sea ice. I was watching from the port side by myself and none of the other lads saw it from the stern. The WiFi was down so my WhatsApp didn't get through in time. Some of the guy had poor views at Deception Island two days later. No body managed to catch up with an Antarctic Petrel during our time in the Antarctic. There were large numbers of Southern Fulmars in the area as we gave up on the research base and headed west towards Arctowski Station in Admiralty Bay.

https://ebird.org/checklist/S62785448
https://ebird.org/checklist/S62673124

Adelie Penguin
Adelie Penguin

Adelie Penguin

Adelie Penguin

Adelie Penguin

Adelie Penguin

Adelie Penguin

Adelie Penguin

Penguin colony by Arctowski Station.
Cape Petrel


Cape Petrel

Cape Petrel

Cape Petrel

Cape Petrel

Cape Petrel and Southern Fulmar.
Southern Fulmar

Southern Fulmar

Southern Fulmar

Southern Fulmar

Southern Fulmar

Black-browed Albatross

Black-browed Albatross

South Polar Skua

South Polar Skua

South Polar Skua

South Polar Skua

South Polar Skua
Antarctic Shag

Antarctic Shag
Humpback Whale

Humpback Whale

Humpback Whale

Humpback Whale

Humpback Whale






Research Base

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