Life Trove: Day 12: Up close and personal with King penguins at Gold Harbour

Tanya's Diary

The morning brings us gorgeous weather and more golden opportunities to record educational content for Upschool! The Zodiacs take us to the aptly named Gold Harbour. The beach is absolutely crowded with King penguins, their vibrant golden beaks and crowns glinting at us in the morning sunlight. The King penguin colony here is the largest in South Georgia with an estimated 120,000 breeding couples. In the distance we could see 2196m high Mt Patterson with its icy caps, fed by the Bertrab Glacier. Like many glaciers in the region, this on is on the retreat due to climate change.

Basking in the sun, with their huge bodies taking up quite a major proportion of the shoreline, are a wallow of elephant seals. Occasionally they slowly open an eye or two to track our movements, but mostly they lay lazily, preferring to conserve their energy. These elephant seals are considered one of the greatest divers on earth – in pursuit of food, they can dive up to 2km whilst holding their breath for up to two hours at a time. Further along, we do see a couple of juvenile elephant seals play-fighting in preparation to becoming a beach master in their older age.

The King penguins casually stroll by, and we set up nearby, careful to keep some distance. With the waves crashing on the left of us and the seals lounging around behind us, we record a video for Young Art USA. Jordan chats with Gavin about the migration of elephant seals and how this can be mapped using tea-stained paper.

The penguins seem to show genuine curiosity in our recordings and so Gavin takes out the first children’s book he wrote – ‘Are These Your Glasses?’, a story about Sergio, a bullied penguin from Antarctica. A class of penguins gather around him, listening intently to the tale and trying to get a sneak peek of their penguin pals on the page.

Back on board, the afternoon begins with an informative lecture from Pat about evolution and physiology – how marine mammals have evolved over time. As evening approaches, the Captain takes us on a ship cruise past Sandebugten and Nordenskjold Glacier while we reminisce over the day and prepare for tomorrow’s journey to one of the largest King penguin colonies on Earth.

My Account

Landing on the beach

I have been very fortunate to have had some amazing and unforgettable wildlife experiences in my life including the Serengetti and Galapagos but not even those experiences can quite compare to the experience of landing on the beach at Gold Harbour to immediately be surrounded by thousands of King penguins.

Curious and unafraid, the penguins waddled around us, inspecting the new visitors to their realm. Some tilted their heads, letting out trumpet-like calls, while others preened their feathers and touched bills with other penguins, seemingly unaware of our presence. The dance of life literally unfolded before us. Penguins filled the entire beach as far as the eye could see and behind them was the vast mountainous backdrop that makes Salisbury Plain so famous. I felt a deep sense of gratitude for being allowed to witness this extraordinary spectacle.

Walking along the beach towards the colony

Penguins going out to sea

King penguins are graceful and adept swimmers, and their journey out to sea is a mesmerising sight to behold. As they prepare to leave the safety of their colony, they gather along the shoreline, facing the oncoming waves with determination. They may waddle, hop, or slide on their bellies toward the water's edge, all while staying vigilant and assessing the conditions of the surf.

As the waves crash upon the shore, the penguins dive headfirst into the surf, using their powerful wings to propel themselves forward. Their streamlined bodies cut through the water with incredible agility, allowing them to navigate the turbulent waves with ease. Once they have reached deeper waters, the king penguins dive beneath the surface in search of food, showcasing their remarkable diving capabilities.

These journeys out to sea are vital for the penguins' survival, as they must forage for fish and squid to sustain themselves and provide for their young. Despite the challenges they face, the king penguins' exceptional swimming and diving skills enable them to thrive in their harsh, yet beautiful, environment.

The colony with the perfect backdrop

At Salisbury Plain, the breathtaking backdrop sets a dramatic stage for the bustling life of king penguins that call this place home. In the foreground, countless king penguins gather in their vibrant, tightly-packed colonies, their orange and yellow plumage creating a striking visual against the stark, icy landscape. The awe-inspiring combination of Salisbury Plain's majestic scenery and the captivating spectacle of king penguins in the foreground creates an unforgettable, otherworldly experience for those fortunate enough to witness it.

King penguin interactions

King penguins exhibit a range of interesting social behaviors that help them communicate and bond with one another. They often engage in bill-touching, gently tapping their beaks together as a form of greeting or reinforcement of their bond. Another distinctive behavior is the "sky-pointing" display, where they lift their bills towards the sky while stretching their necks, which can signal their readiness to mate or assert their presence within the colony.

When it comes to maintaining boundaries and personal space, king penguins may resort to pecking at strangers or intruders that come too close. This behavior can be observed when individuals attempt to protect their territory or their offspring from potential threats. Despite occasional squabbles, king penguins are highly social creatures that rely on complex interactions to navigate their daily lives and ensure the overall cohesion of their colony.

Elephant seals

Elephant seals basked on the beach and we had to be careful not to get between them and the ocean. You don't want to get in the way of 4 tons of marauding muscle and blubber!

Elephant seals are truly remarkable marine mammals with a range of fascinating characteristics:

They are among the largest seals in the world, with southern elephant seals being the biggest of all. Males are significantly larger than females, reaching up to 6 meters in length and weighing up to 4,000 kg, while females typically reach around 3 meters and weigh up to 900 kg.
They are exceptional divers, reaching depths of over 1,500 meters (4,900 feet) and staying submerged for up to two hours at a time. They dive to forage for food, which includes squid, fish, and other deep-sea prey.
They travel vast distances during their annual migrations, which can span thousands of miles. They spend most of their time at sea, only coming ashore to breed, molt, and give birth.
Male elephant seals are famous for their large, inflatable proboscis, which gives them their name. This unique nose plays a role in attracting females and amplifying their vocalizations during the breeding season.
During the breeding season, male elephant seals engage in intense and sometimes violent battles to establish dominance and secure access to harems of females. These confrontations can result in injuries as the bulls use their weight and sharp teeth to assert their dominance.
Elephant seals were once hunted to near extinction for their blubber, which was used for oil production. Thanks to conservation efforts, their populations have rebounded, and they are now considered a conservation success story.