Africa Wild

The jagged peaks of the Antarctic Peninsula are a sight to behold. Rising sheer from the dark, cold waters that surround them, they are often sshrouded in low cloud or mist, but when that lifts and the terrain reveals itself, the vistas are phenomenal.

Low mist and cloud being burnt away by the sun,


Reveal ice capped peaks with hanging glaciers and bergschrunds glistening in the sunlight.


Sheer cliffs rise vertically from the sea.


With jagged peaks and narrow ridgebacks.




The twin towers of Cape Renard jut out spectacularly.


The Northern approach to the Lemaire Channel. Booth Island on the right.


Mount Peary.


Mount Shackleton on left, Mount Peary on right.


Home from home. Our base with the Lemaire Channel as a backdrop. (My workshop was the black building on the left).

Snow Petrels must be one of the most beautiful birds in the World to see. They are ethereal in flight as they float around an iceberg, appearing like tiny angels hovering over the sea in search of food. They breed in crevices high up on cliff faces and colonies can be found in the Nunataks that pierce the ice sheet far inland.

These birds always brought a smile to my face whenever I saw them. They would brighten up even the dullest days when the weather was bad. We often had a weather front coming through and numbers of these dainty little seabirds would increase dramatically just prior to the front hitting.



They seem to love to flutter around icebergs, and often rested on them.






When storms pushed the brash ice into the bays, the birds would fly in to shore to feed amongst the ice.


They were very well camouflaged in this environment - can you see them all?


When sat on the surface, their beauty seemed to be enhanced further.




But watching them as they flew around was simply breathtaking.

Adelie Penguins are the smallest of the Penguin species found in the region. They, along with the Emperor Penguin have a distribution that reaches further South than any of their kind. They are part of the "Brush-tailed" group of penguins and breed in variously sized colonies all around the continent.

They are pugnacious little birds and will often challenge you with a glare, nape and head feathers erect and flippers held back ready to strike if you get too close. But as with all the wildlife here, if you sit quietly, they are so inquisitive, they will approach you and check you out.

During Winter, they spend their time out to sea, feeding along the edge of the ice pack, but in Summer, they return to their colonies from October onwards, the males arriving a few days earlier than the females.

They often seem to get themselves into situations that take them a while to work out how to get back to the ocean, such as these two who have climbed an iceberg and are unsure how to get down.


They often rest on ice floes in small groups.


Apart from the normal upright walk, they also toboggan along on their bellies.


Their tail feathers give them their "Brush-tailed" name.


You often encountered them resting or preening on the ice.


Some would rest whilst upright.


While others prefered to lie down.




When preening, they would contort themselves into all manner of postures.




And they seemed to find something interesting to look at when not engaged in other activities.




As the breeding season approaches, they sake their way along the ice to their colonies, often travelling huge distances.

Adelie Penguins return to their breeding colonies in early Summer. The males establish their nesting sites and await the arrival of the females. Displaying birds bow and head point to each other. Both birds nest build, the male presenting the female with choice stones for her approval.

Close up of the white tipped back feathers.


They can be very aggressive towards intruders.


Males return to the colonies first.


Where they find a nest site and call raucously.




When the females arrive, the birds display to one another.






Once the nest is built, the female settles down to lay two eggs.






Both birds will take turn to incubate the eggs.


Birds must choose nesting sites carefully otherwise they will be in the line of fire from their neighbours.

After an incubation period of approximately 35 days, the chicks hatch out of the eggs and are tended to by both the adults in turn until at two to three weeks of age, the chicks creche enabling both adults to go on feeding forays at the same time. Fledging takes around 50 days, but is highly variable, some fledge over a week earlier than this, whilst others can take up to two weeks longer, depending on food availability, type and frequency of feeding rates. Once fledged, the chicks head out to sea to spend the Winter feeding along the ice edge.

Adelie Penguin colony with adults and chicks.


Adult giving shade to chick on a hot day.


The chicks feel the heat and crash out to keep cool.


The hustle and bustle of a typical colony.






Moulting chick.


When the adult returns, the chick begs for food to stimulate regurgitation.


And is rewarded for it's efforts.


The chicks creche together for protection from Skuas and warmth in poor weather.




The down on the head is usually the last to go before fully fledged.


But it will take a full year before they aquire the black bibs of the adults.

Our base, situated on a small island just off the Peninsula. Lemaire Channel in the background.


Another view of the base with the mountaina of the Peninsula as a backdrop.


Skiing was a populsr pastime, both cross country and downhill.


And exploring the surrounding islands was also very popukar.


Travel on the sea-ice was possible during the Winter once the sea froze sufficiently.


And this enabled us to get up close and personal with some of the icebergs trapped in for the Winter.


We also had our 10 day jollies away from base during the Winter months. This usually entailled waiting for some nice weather. Setting off from base and man-haulling for a day. We would then set up camp and settle down for the night. Invariably the weather would mank in the following day, so we would then spend the remaining time holed up in the tent for over a week waiting for some good weather to enable us to return to base. -O -O -O


Climbing the local hills was also popular, but I normally preferred to spend my time watching the wildlife at lower altitudes.


One for the ffolks back home.


And a sunset to finish off for tonights post.

Antarctic Terns are common around the islands that abound off the Peninsula and also breed on the larger islands mentioned earlier. After spending the Winter months off South Africa and South America, the birds return to breed.

They are stunningly beautiful, if a little raucous, as they plunge dive for fish in the shallows.




They scour the shoreline for small fish and krill.


They often rested for periods on the shore and were reasonably tame to approach.




When pairing up, the males would fly along the shore looking for food which they would present to a female. Males also flew by the sitting female calling loudly.




I used to love sitting on a prominent rock somewhere on the beaches and simply watch them as they went about their buisness.

Antarctic Terns breed in loose colonies of varying size depending on the location. They breed from October onwards and create a scrape within loose ground which is sometimes made up of pebbles or shells. One or two eggs are laid and these are incubated for approx 24 days. The chicks are fed by both adults and take around thirty days to fledge.

Two eggs laid in a nest of limpet shells.


Recently hatched chick.


The chicks are well camouflaged to help them avoid avian predators.


Once fledged, they remain with their parents and join them in foraging in the intertidal zone along the shores.




They are easily recognisable at this age with their boldly marked backs and wings.






Towards the end of the Summer, they gather in flocks along the beaches prior to heading off North for the Winter.

Thanks Nan, I used to prefer the cold, but now have red sand inbetween my toes and really liked the heat of KTP, something I would have not enjoyed as much maybe 10 years ago.

Lis, you have seen these before I'm sure, but a few sketches for you, old ones I'm afraid, not done any recently.

Thanks Nan & Lis.

Crabeater Seals are reputedly the second commonest large mammal on the planet after man. Population estimates vary, but 30 million is the figure I was told by scientists at the time. I've also read much smaller figures and some over twice this number.

They are 2 to 2.5m in length and weigh between 200 & 400kg, with the females being slightly larger than the males. They are specialised feeders, but not on crabs as their common name suggests. They have specially adapted sieve-like teeth which are used to catch their main prey, Krill.

They pup out on the pack ice, therefore I only saw adults close inshore and did not get the chance to see the pups, although we did see some yerlings which had been born earlier that year.

We often saw groups of many animals swimming together.


But mostly came across smaller numbers hauled out on ice floes or bergs.


They are preyed upon by Killer Whales and Leopard Seals, and often sport the scars from the attacks of these predators.


They always seemed to choose interesingly shaped bergs to haul out onto.






Their teeth are adapted to catch Krill, the mainstay of their diet.




As with all the seals, they spent a lot of time asleep when ashore.