My Travels in Pictures

  • Exploring the World
    • Uganda – the Pearl of Africa
      • Chimpanzee trekking in Kibale
      • Queen Elizabeth National Park & the Kazinga Channel
      • Exploring Queen Elizabeth NP on land
      • Mountain Gorillas – Trek 1 – Habinyanja Family
      • Mountain Gorillas – Trek 2 – Oruzogo Group
      • Mountain Gorillas – Trek 3 – Muyambi Group
    • New York City – a small bite of the big apple
    • Kenya & the Great Migration
      • The Amazing Ololo Safari Lodge
      • Nairobi National Park – a treasure on the edge of the city
      • Sheldrick Nursery & the Giraffe Centre
      • A first glimpse of the amazing Masai Mara
      • A very full day in the Mara
      • A day in (and above) the Mara Triangle
      • Helicopter Day
      • Big cats and the Masai village of Andasikr
      • Saying khwaheri to the Mara and habari to Samburu
      • A very special day in Samburu
      • A photoshoot with Samburu warriors
    • Delhi & the Wildlife of India
      • A Walking Tour of Old Delhi
      • Exploring just a few of Delhi’s many monuments
      • 3 Days in Kazaranga
      • Satpura – in search of Sloth Bears
      • Bandhavgarh – Time for tigers!
    • Myanmar and the Alluring Irrawaddy
      • Day 1 – Yangon’s Circular Railway
      • Day 2 – Touring Yangon
      • Day 3 – On the Irrawaddy River – Bhamo & the 2nd Defile
      • Day 4 – Kyun Daw & Katha
      • Day 5 – Katha & Tigyang
      • Day 6 – Kya Hnyat & Kottet Orphanage
      • Day 7 – Kyauk Myaung
      • Day 8 – Mingun & the U-Bein Bridge
      • Day 9 – Mandalay
      • Day 10 – Sagaing
      • Day 11 – Shwe Pyi Thar & a Puppet Show
      • Day 12 – Magical Bagan
      • Day 13 & 14 – Back in Yangon
      • Heading home – a layover trip to the Great Wall of China at Mutianyu
    • Cruising the Adriatic – a trip from Venice to Rome
      • Venice – Part 1 – a city like no other
      • Venice – Part 2 – exploring off the beaten path
      • Venice – Part 3 – On the beaten path
      • Slovenia – Vintgar Gorge, Lake Bled & Koper
      • Croatia – Plitvice Lakes from Zadar
      • Croatia – Dubrovnik
      • Kotor, Montenegro
      • Malta – Valetta & the Three Cities
      • Malta – a road trip to the Blue Grotto & Marsaxlokk
      • Sicily – Taormina & the slopes of Mount Etna
      • Capri, Italy
    • Galapagos Islands – Central & East
      • Quito, Ecuador
      • Tandayapa Cloud Forest – Birds, birds & more birds
      • Galapagos Islands – Baltra & Mosquera Islet
      • Galapagos Islands – Seymour Norte & Plaza Sur
      • Galapagos Islands – Sombrero Chino & Rabida
      • Galapagos Islands – Puerto Egas & Bucanero Cove
      • Galapagos Islands – Caleta Tortuga Negra & Santa Cruz Highlands
      • Plaza Sur (Take 2) & Santa Fe
      • Galapagos – Punta Pitt, La Galapaguera, San Cristobal & NY Eve
    • Victoria Falls, Chobe (Botswana) & Cape Town – an African Photo Safari
      • Victoria Falls
      • Pangolin Better Wildlife Photography Course on the Chobe River
      • EarthArk Mobile Safari – Savuti
      • EarthArk Mobile Safari – Khwai Conservancy – Part 1 of 2
      • EarthArk Mobile Safari – Khwai – Part 2 of 2
      • EarthArk Mobile Safari – The Okavango Delta – Moremi & the Xini Lagoon
      • Capetown – Kirstenbosch & the Bo-Kaap
      • Cape Town – Muizenberg, Kalk Bay & Boulders Beach
      • Cape Town – Betty’s Bay and Stellenbosch
    • Falkland Islands, South Georgia & Antarctica
      • A trip to the end of the earth – Falklands, South Georgia & Antarctica–Explorers & Kings
      • Ushuaia–Fin del Mundo
      • Ushuaia–Day 2
      • Waiting for my ship to come in…
      • Come sail away…
      • Day #1 & 2 – En route to the Falklands
      • Day #3 – West Point Island & Saunders Island, The Falklands
      • Day # 4 – Stanley–more British than Britain
      • Day # 7 – Right Whale Bay & Salisbury Plain–Kings, kings & more kings
    • Iceland – the land of fire and ice
      • Iceland – Day 1 – Arriving & Reykjavik
      • Iceland – Day 2
      • Iceland – Day 3
      • Iceland – Day 4 – The Blue Lagoon
      • Iceland – Day 5 -South Coast
      • Iceland – Day 6 – Northern Lights & Jokulsarlon
      • Iceland – Day 7 – Time to head home
  • Closer to Home
    • Fall Colours 2019
    • Sound of Light 2019 – Greece
    • Sound of Light 2019 – Italy
    • Sound of Light 2019 – Chile
    • Bonnechere Cave & Fourth Chute Falls
    • Fall colours, rapids & waterfalls
    • Casino du Lac Leamy 2016 Fireworks Finale
This post is part of a series called Falkland Islands, South Georgia & Antarctica
Show More Posts
  • A trip to the end of the earth – Falklands, South Georgia & Antarctica–Explorers & Kings
  • Ushuaia–Fin del Mundo
  • Ushuaia–Day 2
  • Waiting for my ship to come in…
  • Come sail away…
  • Day #1 & 2 – En route to the Falklands
  • Day #3 – West Point Island & Saunders Island, The Falklands
  • Day # 4 – Stanley–more British than Britain
  • Day # 7 – Right Whale Bay & Salisbury Plain–Kings, kings & more kings
  • Day #8 – In the footsteps of Shackleton
  • Day #9 – Elephants & Kings – St. Andrew’s Bay & Gold Harbour
  • Day #10 – Cooper Bay & Drygalski Fjord
  • Day #13 – Elephant Island
  • Day #14 – Setting foot on Antarctica
  • Day #15 – Whales, whales and more whales – a “Tail” of a perfect day
  • Day # 16 – Deception Island & Half Moon Bay
  • Day 19 & 20 – Buenos Aires
  • Antarctica Photo Gallery

Our last day in South Georgia started at Cooper Bay, home to South Georgia’s largest Chinstrap Penguin colony, under sunny skies. In addition to the Chinny’s, Gentoos, Kings & Macaronis also nest here.  Sadly, no landing today, just a zodiac cruise.

Chinstraps are brush-tailed penguins who get their name from the black band at the bottom of their head.  They have very strong little legs and pink feet and I think they always look like they’re smiling.  They’re the 2nd most numerous penguin species in the world, with the macaronis being the 1st.

They aren’t too big, they average 28 inches tall and weigh 6.5 to 11 lbs.  I didn’t get too many pictures of them this day; it’s hard sometimes in the zodiac to get decent pictures, but we saw more of them in Antarctica.

Our ship…

A curious gentoo and some elephant seals who are much more interested in sleeping.  The gentoo looks as though he’s trying to figure out what these strange creatures in zodiacs are…

Snowy sheathbills

You can see here how the lush tussock grass has grown in where once a glacier sat.  A stark contrast to the terrain we’ll see around the corner.

 

A kelp gull

Everyone remembers the line from “Yankee Doodle” – “he stuck a feather in his cap and called it macaroni”.  According to Wikipedia, “Macaroni” was “a mid-18th century style in England with flamboyant and excessive ornamentation”.  The early English sailors saw a resemblance in these penguins, with their bright yellow crest, and named them macaronis.

They are one of the 6 (or 8 depending on the taxonomy) crested penguin species.  Adults are 7-14 lbs and they’re about 28 inches tall.  And, moulting or not, they always have crazy hair.

Did I mention it wasn’t sunny anymore?

Back on the ship for lunch, we set sail for Drygalski Fjord on the southern tip of South Georgia. 1 mile wide and 7 miles long, it’s studded with glaciers tumbling down to the sea.

 

They opened up the bow of the ship (normally crew only) and served up “adult” hot chocolate as we cruised up the fjord.

Arriving at the end of the fjord

Despite the poor visibility, the colour of the water was stunning.

Glacial ice is blue because the air has been squeezed out by the weight of the snow and ice above;  less air means more blue.  Typically, this means the bluer the ice the older the glacier.

As much as I love seeing penguins on land, there’s something about a random penguin (this one’s a gentoo) on a piece of ice that always makes you smile.

The glacier at the head of the fjord.  The captain got us pretty close, our expedition leader was pretty excited about that.

With that, the captain spun the ship around and we sailed out, on our way to Antarctica.  It’s too bad the weather wasn’t better, but it was still spectacular; it actually gave it a surreal quality.  Our geologist was so excited he could barely talk.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Related

Related Posts

  • Antarctica Photo Gallery

    April 1, 2018July 21, 2019
  • Day #14 – Setting foot on Antarctica

    January 2, 2017July 16, 2019

Post navigation

  Day #9 – Elephants & Kings – St. Andrew’s Bay & Gold Harbour
Day #13 – Elephant Island  

3 thoughts on “Day #10 – Cooper Bay & Drygalski Fjord”

  • Susan Perkins January 23, 2017 at 5:48 am Reply

    Gorgeous even when it’s raining/snowing!

  • Terry Sullivan January 23, 2017 at 12:50 pm Reply

    Fabulous! I am looking forward to Antarctica.

  • Jack and Teresa Preston January 23, 2017 at 1:03 pm Reply

    As always,great pictures.

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Recent Comments

  • Joyce:

    Super shots of Prince Rupert ...looks like a wonderful place
  • Joyce:

    Thanks for sharing your wonder experience and the photos
  • Joyce Benham:

    Thank you and keep those photos coming ...amazing
  • Kathy Preston:

    Thanks Joyce - this trip was with Wild-Eye .
  • Joyce Benham:

    Wow you certainly got a trip of a life time

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