Day 15: Salisbury Plain & Elsehul

Tanya's Diary

Our Antarctic journey is coming to a close, though we still have this one day of shore landings to experience. We are up at a reasonable hour (7am) to have breakfast before heading to our first landing – Salisbury Plain. We approach the shore in our Zodiac and the scene before us is one we can hardly describe – perhaps the pictures will do it justice! Thousands of fur seal pups dance and swirl in the shallow waters as we try to disembark onto the land. There, we see thousands of King penguins covering the plain, cawing to each other, with the chicks at their feet crowing for food. King penguin males and females take equal responsibility over the rearing of their chick, with both parents routinely venturing on fishing trips to fatten up the chick before the winter comes.

We set up our recording gear for a brilliant lesson with John on the Antarctic Skua, predator of the unhatched King penguin eggs. The noise we hear, the continuous cacophonous cawing of the penguins, serves as a warning to the rest of the colony when Skuas are lurking. We also record a lesson about the four tiers of the Antarctic food web, starting from diatoms at the bottom to the apex predator, the wolf of the sea – the orca – at the top.

Later, we film the introductory video for the 10-week course ‘The Power of One’ with the penguins all gathering around us, and in some sort of crazy/beautiful moment, Gavin says to the camera “…during this course you will understand how the small changes you make affect each and every animal in Antarctica, including these four penguins here…” and a parade of penguins march across the scene in front of him, as if to emphasise his point!

What an absolutely epic and beautiful way to end our adventure. The next few days are spent at sea as we head home, while previewing and editing all the content we’d created for Upschool and reflecting on the journey. Initially, we started with a plan to record 20 educational video lessons, however, after seeing and experiencing the marvels that Antarctica has to offer, we leave this wondrous continent with over 70 learning sequences!

Thank you all for following along and we do hope that you enjoy the course when it becomes available. “Alone we can change today, but together we can change forever!”

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Morning landing at Salisbury Plain

Salisbury Plain, located on the north coast of South Georgia Island, is a stunning natural wonder known for its impressive coastline and diverse wildlife. The plain is home to one of the largest king penguin colonies in the world, with over 60,000 breeding pairs. A remote and pristine place, it also provides close encounters with fur seals with suckling pups.  The vast expanse of tussock grass provides a unique habitat for various bird species and is very photogenic, especially with King penguins walking across it.

Approaching the beach by zodiac

The vivid green tussock grass of the plain and hill has a stunning icy mountain backdrop. The penguin colony extends far up the hill as you can see here...

On the beach

We were immediately surrounded by penguins, penguins and more penguins.  We had seen King penguins at other stops, including the huge colony at Gold Harbour , but even given 100 years of intimate encounters, I would never tire of them.  Salisbury Plain was yet another "pinch me" moment.

On the grass

The grassy plain provided beautiful photographic opportunities.  On the grass, penguins huddled together in groups and walked to and fro while with the mountain behind them while, in the foreground, mother fur seals suckled their pups.

The ultimate bully in the playground

Wherever the penguin goes, the pesky skua follows on a never-ending quest for penguin eggs and chicks. How much easier the life of a penguin would be without them!  Oh well, I suppose we all have to have our nemesis.

On the dried mud flat

The grass plain gave way to dried mud which provided a gathering point for more penguins as they made their way towards the colony.

The colony

Oh wow, how to describe the colony of penguins that extended across the plain and right up the hill!  A colossal congregation. A mesmerising symphony of life with the penguins' trumpeting calls resonating like a chorus of brass instruments. The sheer immensity of their gathering painted a mosaic of shimmering gold, iridescent blues, and velvety blacks across the landscape. The air was infused with the smell of fish and krill, the earthy odour of damp tussock grass and occasional wafts of penguin guano.  It all provided a veritable feast for the senses and offered a rare glimpse into the wild, untamed beauty of an unspoiled world where the King penguin reigns supreme.  It's hard not to wax lyrical after an experience like this!

In the water

As our zodiac floated on the waves, we witnessed yet another captivating sight.  A large group of King penguins swam past our zodiac, their bodies splashy and buoyant on the water's surface. Their blue and black feathers provided a beautiful contrast against the deep emerald green sea. With their webbed feet, they propelled themselves forward in a synchronised kind of "aerobic dance".  It was all so wondrous and all we could do was ogle and laugh in delight.

An albatross overhead

A solitary albatross flew over our zodiac providing yet another close encounter with a bird I love so much. Along with King penguins, albatrosses to me, epitomise the isolated, pristine wildness of South Georgia.

Afternoon zodiac cruise and landing at Elsehul

Elsehul is a small bay located on the southern coast of South Georgia Island in the South Atlantic Ocean. The bay is known for its stunning natural beauty, with steep mountains and glaciers surrounding the area, as well as its rich biodiversity. In particular, it is a popular breeding ground for albatross and petrels.  

We got to do a zodiac cruise in the late afternoon with the sight of petrels floating on the ocean and albatross circling overhead.  We also did a landing and climbed a hill for a stunning view of the bay.  It was the perfect spot for our final group photo. I bade a sad farewell to the last King penguin I would encounter on our expedition. After just a few days of intimate encounters, I felt and will forever feel connected to these magical beings.

Giant petrels floating in the ocean...

... and flying overhead

Albatross gliding through the sky on long wings and coming in to land

Landing on the shore by zodiac and then climbing a hill to enjoy a view over a secluded bay. My final encounter with a King penguin on the beach.

Our final team photo

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Day 14: Godthul & Jason Bay

Tanya's Diary

The morning begins with a call over the tannoy at 6am! Though, to be fair, it’s not an unreasonable hour – the expedition leader, Christian, has allowed us the opportunity to head to shore at this early hour so we can beat the weather and get to shore and back before the swells and winds pick up.

We quickly get into gear and cruise over in our Zodiac to Godthul, which is Norwegian for ‘good hollow’. Godthul was used as a whaling station between the years of 1908 and 1929. Along the shoreline were lots of fur seal pups, some rusting barrels, a shed and boats run ashore from the whaling days long gone.

Further along, there is a track that winds its way up a hill filled with tussac grass, an interesting tufty type of plant that takes 200 hundred years to grow! As we make our way to the top of the hill, we see seal pups hiding in amongst the grass, grumbling at us as we move past them! We reach the top of the hill to beautiful views of the mountains surrounding us, and we film a lesson on the rock cycle.

Back on the ship, it’s still early, so we have brunch as the captain and expedition leader take us to a sheltered cove called Jason Bay. We’re back on shore on a pebbly beach filled with fur seals, elephant seals, king penguins and leopard seals swimming nearby. Once again, it’s the perfect backdrop for more lessons to add to our ever-growing collection of educational content for Upschool’s ‘The Power of One’ learning sequence.

The day ends with some fascinating insights into seal breathing techniques from Bia, the marine biologist, and a lecture from Dr Karl about ‘Absolutely fabulous moments in science.’

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A morning hike at Godhul

Beach landing

Godhul, located on the northeastern coast of South Georgia Island, is a picturesque and historically significant bay. Known for its abundant wildlife, such as fur seals and king penguins, it is a popular destination for nature enthusiasts and researchers alike. Godhul also holds a unique place in the island's whaling history, as remnants of early 20th-century whaling activities can still be found on its shores.

We landed on the shore by zodiac and laughed in delight at the antics of the hyperactive fur seals playing in the shallows of a river on the beach. Many of the seals were perched on tufts of tussock grass, a distinctive feature of South Georgia. This tussock grass grows slowly, taking 200 years to reach full size. It provides an invaluable habitat for the local wildlife.

We came close to land to enable us to land on a day of big swells

The beach where we landed with a river running into the ocean

So many beautiful seals

We got to hike up the hill for great views

The hike was tricky and slow going at first as we had to navigate a hill of tussock grass that was slippery and kept revealing hidden seals who we didn't want to disturb. The seals are very feisty, and despite being very cute, can be a little scary when they mock charge you as a way of saying "Bugger off, this is my domain!" 

Once we got up the hill, the going got a lot easier and we enjoyed great views of the bay. There was also a glassy still lake that reflected the surrounding mountains beautifully.  After a bit of ambling, we arrived at a gathering of Gentoo penguins, malting at the top of the hill.  Quite a climb for them too, but the hill provides them with much some much needed protection from predators.

Climbing up the tussock grass

Lovely view of the bay

A beautiful mountain lake

Walking at the top of the hill

Gentoo penguins malting at the top of the hill

Afternoon landing at Jason Bay

Jason Bay, situated on the northern coast of South Georgia Island, is a stunning and pristine place teeming with wildlife. The area is particularly famous for its thriving population of king penguins. Additionally, the shores of Jason Bay are frequented by elephant seals, which can often be seen lounging on the beach or engaging in their unique social interactions.  We landed on the beach and walked up the local estuary some way, enjoying interactions with fur seals and female elephant seals. We then returned to the beach and walked along it, watching terns swooping down to the touch the ocean.

Fur seals on the left, female Elephant seal on the right

A rare albino fur seal

King penguins

We also had close views of King Penguins protecting eggs . King penguins, like other penguins, have a unique method of keeping their eggs safe and warm. They do not build nests; instead, they incubate their single egg using a specialized pouch called a brood pouch. The brood pouch is formed by a fold of skin and feathers located above the parent's feet. The penguin places the egg on its feet, covers it with the brood pouch, and balances it there to keep it off the cold ground. Both parents take turns incubating the egg, swapping duties every few days, while the other goes out to sea to feed. This process ensures the egg remains protected and warm until it hatches after approximately 55 days.

Many of the penguins were protecting an egg under their feet

King penguins always have to be wary of Skuas who steal their eggs. It's a battle of wills as to who blinks first!

Blue-eyed shag

The South Georgia shag is a marine bird species endemic to the sub-Antarctic region, particularly South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. This cormorant-like bird is characterised by its dark plumage, with a distinctive white patch on its cheeks and throat. South Georgia shags are skilled divers and feed mainly on fish and small marine invertebrates. They breed in colonies along the rocky coastlines and cliffs, building nests with seaweed, grass, and feathers. 

The shag above inspired this art by Jordan

An Arctc tern flies by, swooping down to touch the ocean from time to time

The Arctic tern (Sterna paradisaea) is a species of tern that can be found in South Georgia during its breeding season. These small, graceful birds are known for their remarkable migration, traveling between the Arctic and Antarctic regions each year. With their streamlined bodies, sharp beaks, and forked tails, Arctic terns are well-adapted for their long journeys and life at sea. In South Georgia, they nest in coastal areas, where they lay their eggs and raise their young before embarking on their annual migration once again.

Gavin and Jordan doing a lesson in the water

Now that's what I call dedication to providing memorable lessons!

Me in action

Me photographing the tern. Not easy as they're constantly ducking and diving!

Original, single photos

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