Sunday - Yankee Harbor & Barrientos IslandNov 27, 2011
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Our ship in Yankee Harbor. A sudden snowstorn erupted as we reached...
A desolate beach
Elephant Seals lined the shore
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The Reluctant Penguin
(MP4 - 3.11 MB)
An Elephant Seal does a stretch
Antarctica - Sunday - Yankee Harbor & Barrientos Island Nov 27, 2011
Today was our last day in Antarctica before we headed north in the Drake Passage. The weather has turned more like we had expected with 32F and snow. Tom set up his camera with a long telephoto lens and dressed in 5 layers. Upon landing from the zodiac we were greeted with, "The weather has gone from bad to worse, so we'll only stay an hour. Keep you life vest on and if you hear the ship's whistle, head back to the zodiac landing."
Despite all the worry, the best views of elephant seals was to be found here. Be sure to watch the video of the seal arching his back and putting his flipper into the air.
Our last landing was at Barrientos Island where both Chinstrap and Gentoo penguins breed. Tom got about half way on the long walk to the lake at the far end of the island while Anne found a flat rock, sat down, and contemplated the surroundings, enjoying the feel of snowflakes on her face, and having penguins walk right by.
There were more elephant seals to be seen but the deep snow made the trek difficult. Tom found a penguin egg that had been attacked by a predator (probably a ski). Some rocks were not snow covered and the lichens and moss were evident.
Tom captured a video of a "reluctant penguin" who made several attempts to get into the water before diving in at last.