Yesterday’s landing on South Georgia was a memorable one (OK, so they were all memorable). After a restful night in a quiet bay, we motor round the corner to an exposed beach. An ‘8’o’clocky’ briefing by our crazy Spanish guide, Jordi, told us it would be rough, wet and ‘super nice, eh?’. I reached for the roll of duct tape every girl carries in her luggage.
Trousers firmly taped to my wellies, I negotiated the dismount from the Zodiac with ease. Happy days. Along the beach, the elephant seals farted and belched. A few massive bulls just slept and a small number of fur seals kept their distance. Even better. Walking along the black sand, it’s King Penguins as far as the eye can see. And they are so inquisitive. Stop for a few minutes and they come waddling over as if they’re working the room at a huge party. My bright orange camera case is clearly looking a bit like a penguin as it receives some beak attention early on. They are polite, though and not at all aggressive.
Further down the beach a river crosses our way and we have to wade through both arms of it. Boot top deep, it’s cold and powerful, but everyone is safe and dry. Lex, our ornithologist spots a dead giant petrel in the sand and invites us to smell the feathers. Yes, you read right. Not unpleasant, but another weird one for the diary.
Further on we climb a ridge running back from the beach. St Andrews’ Bay was a key location for David Attenborough’s ‘Life in the Freezer’. The largest King Penguin colony in the world is over that ridge and as we climb, they suddenly come into earshot ! The paper and comb chorus is deafening and delightful. The amount of bright green poop less so. (what on earth do they eat? Pistachio nuts??) Wave upon wave of adults and chicks stretch out into the distance. Something in the region of 150k breeding pairs plus a chick each. You can do the maths. It’s a lot of penguins.
Watching these folks again I spotted behaviour I missed earlier in the week. Whilst they will occasionally take a peck at each other in disapproval, they do a great line in ‘handbags at dawn’ tussles, using their flippers to batter each other repeatedly. It’s not really aggressive and looks hilarious. Think playground cissies and you have the picture.
Skuas and petrels patrol the colony, flying low overhead ready to pick off the weak and injured. The snowy sheathbills wander around looking for anything unsavoury to eat, including penguin poo. One considerately pecks clean my welly boot whilst I’m watching the colony, but their eyes are cold and I shoo him away.
On the way back, I climb out of the river only to come face to face with 3 penguins at their level. Impasse ! One of us had to back down and I wasn’t keen to stand in the icy river again. Grateful my camera-wielding friends distracted them away as it was not looking like a short conversation, although I’m sure it would have been courteous.
Back at the landing site, I took my place in the Zodiac awaiting the others negotiating the surf as they boarded. Feeling pleased with myself for remaining dry I very nearly ended up in the drink ! Three curious elephant seal pups (about 2 tons each) began to playfully nudge the dinghy – and my back ! It was only the quick action of Emma, our bosun, in the water in a drysuit, who prevented me from a very, very cold dunking !!
I still love them, though.