A Photographic Journal
November 28, 2010 - Elsehul and Salisbury Plain, South Georgia Island
After that first taste of South Georgia, we re-boarded and steamed east to the Salisbury Plain for a real landing.
Salisbury Plain is every bit as good as advertised. 60,000 breeding pair of King Penguins, plus 15-20,000 chicks. Plus both Gentoo and Macaroni Penguins. All calling, along with the bellowing of Southern Fur Seal bulls, quarreling over every inch of beach space. And South Georgia Pintail, on exactly the pond Hugh Rose described.
We had 3.5 hours, and I tried every shot I could think of in bright sunlight. It was actually warm, and I worked with my gloves off and my outer jacket unzipped much of the time. Navigating the beach and the tussocks was a challenge, with unhappy Fur Seal bulls snarling at met if they thought I was too close. Even an Arctic Tern fly-over. Not a lot of species but a fantastic abundance of the species that were present.
The place is a sensory overload, with smells, sounds and sights that beggar description.
 Salisbury Plain (panorama) |
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) King Penguin |
) Macaroni Penguin |
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) Yellow-billed Pintail |
) Light-mantled Sooty Albatross |
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Birds:
Gentoo Penguin
King Penguin
Macaroni Penguin
Wandering Albatross
Grey-headed Albatross
Light-mantled Sooty Albatross
Black-browed Albatross
Southern Giant Petrel
Cape Petrel
Snow Petrel
South Georgia Shag
Brown Skua
Kelp Gull
Antarctic (South Georgia) Tern
Arctic Tern
Yellow-billed Sheathbill
South Georgia Pintail
Mammals:
Southern Elephant Seal
Southern Fur Seal
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All content © 2010-2011 Jim and Nancy DeWitt / Frozen Feather Images
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