Oceanwide Day 17; South Atlantic - South Georgia to Ushuaia

   The morning brought poor weather and more back and forth movement up and down the entrance of the Beagle Channel. With the required pilot not reaching us until midday, we had to kill the morning and consequently there was not much to report in terms of sightings. The poor weather did not help on this front, with strong winds and rain keeping us mostly indoors. Just before lunch there were several whale blows not far away from the boat, but we could not manage to see the animals making it very frustrating. 

  Fortunately, the afternoon was much better, with a stunning show from a pod of Peale’s Dolphin just after lunch. They were right in front of the boat and readily going under the prow. On two occasions we got to see an animal completely breach, it was probably the best dolphin encounter of the whole trip. Not long after the dolphins departed, we had a sudden appearance of a Sei Whale about 100 metres off the boat, giving us a clear view of the whole animal. However, the encounter was so quick that I failed to get a photo. 

  The main journey up the Beagle Channel was badly hampered by bad weather and we saw very little. A small group of Magellanic Penguins sat in the water and some Snowy Sheathbills distantly on a rock in the middle of the channel. 

  We finally docked in Ushuaia at 21:30, bringing to an end our enjoyable but also undeniably disappointing cruise around the South Atlantic, minus Antarctica. A few of us headed to the Irish bar in Ushuaia for a few celebratory drinks, and enjoyed an excellent night out. I returned to our lodging on the ship for the final time at 02:30 in the morning, before disembarkation in the morning. 

Oceanwide Day 16; South Atlantic - South Georgia to Ushuaia

   After two slow days at sea, today finally got interesting. Now within the sheltered waters of the mouth of the Beagle Channel there was good numbers of birds again, albeit mostly common species. Before lunch we had a few more Great Shearwaters, including an individual very close to the boat, and had some head scratching to do with some passing black and white shearwater species. Although we initially thought they were Subantarctic Shearwaters, the more we saw the more we began to think they were Manx Shearwaters, and that was our final decision. An unexpected surprise was a Least Seedsnipe that flew over the boat, a rarity out in the Atlantic and an excellent record for our trip.

  The highlight of the day also came in the period before lunch. After a few days without cetacean action, it really came back with a bang. We had a group of possibly up to eight, but certainly at least six Hourglass Dolphins playing in front of the boat for around 10 minutes. We rushed down to the bow and were able to watch them swimming right beneath us and surfacing frequently. We have seen Hourglass Dolphin four times on this trip when travelling at full speed, and they showed no interest in the boat. But as we trundled along at 6mph, the boat suddenly became of great interest!

  Because we arrived at the Beagle Channel earlier than expected, we had to kill most of the day going back and forth over about two kilometer distance, significantly reducing our chances of a new encounter. After lunch there was a lull in activity, so much so that I headed back to do my notes. A classic error, as about half an hour later a pod of dolphins was announced on the tannoy. Fortunately I made it outside in time, to get views of three Dusky Dolphins swimming behind the ship, although not close. 

  In the evening we returned to the deck and enjoyed a very pleasant evening. It started with some distant Peale’s Dolphins leaping into the air, followed by them bow-riding a large tanker ship. From there, we also spotted several distant whale-blows. We enjoyed watching the whale blows, but spotting the animals themselves proved very tricky. In about an hour we spotted the whale itself on just a couple of occasions, always very distant but enough to identify the animals of Sei Whales. 

  After this, we returned inside for dinner, and afterwards we enjoyed a fun karaoke evening with the cruise staff and participants, a fun end to our final full day on the Plancius.

-Hourglass Dolphins

Oceanwide Day 15; South Atlantic - South Georgia to Ushuaia

   Today we continued to make progress on our return to Argentina, and by evening we were within sight of the outermost of the islands of Tierra del Fuego. On the mammal front there was no improvement from the previous day, with a whale blow being the only sighting but sadly no sign of the animal at all.

  Fortunately the birding improved somewhat. Before lunch it continued in much the same vein as the previous day, with very little seen but I persisted regardless. Immediately after lunch things picked up, with a Northern Royal Albatross circling the ship before heading north being the first of the trip. During the afternoon we encountered many Southern Royal Albatross and by the late afternoon I had even managed a new species, with a distant Great Shearwater flying past the ship, albeit rather distantly. Additionally we had a group of 10 Macaroni Penguins sat on the sea, probably the last time we will encounter the species on the trip.

  By nightfall we were well within sight of our final destination, leaving us with the daunting prospect of needing to complete 3 hours of distance in a day and a half, setting us up for a very slow day in the morning.

Oceanwide Day 14; South Atlantic - South Georgia to Ushuaia

   Today really was a slow day as we continued across the ocean towards Ushuaia. Birds were quite slim pickings, with a few Snowy Albatross the only species of note that we realty observed. Cetaceans were at even more of a premium, with a single unidentified dolphin fin being the only sighting. For the excitement of entering new waterways on our unexpected return to Ushuaia, it has so far only compounded the rather disappointing end to our adventure. 

Oceanwide Day 13; South Atlantic - South Georgia to Ushuaia

   It was another day at sea as we dragged our broken ship onwards on its journey back to Argentina. Because of this there was little to break down in turn of events that occurred during the day, but there were a few rewards for the effort we put in on the deck.

  During the morning there was nothing especially different. Two Hourglass Dolphins passed just under the front of the ship, but they never surfaced, we just saw their patterned bodies moving under the waves. The birding was spectacular but only in terms of numbers, with hundreds and hundreds of Slender-billed Prions circling the boat throughout the morning.

  In the afternoon the wind picked up, and the ship started rocking, but there came many more birds in these fresher conditions. It started with the Light-mantled Albatross showing phenomenally around the ship, with occasionally additional Grey-headed Albatrosses and at one point a nice juvenile Snowy Albatross. In one half hour period we spotted eight Soft-plumage Petrels passing distantly, which was an exciting addition to our afternoon and to our cruise overall. Sadly none were ever particularly close but we could readily identify them through their contrasting underside.

  As evening rolled around the conditions continued to deteriorate, with the ship rocking significantly throughout the evening. There would be no spectacular late whale encounter today.

Oceanwide Day 12; South Atlantic - South Georgia to Ushuaia

   The weather today was nice and clear, with a few snow flurries reducing visibility but otherwise cool and crisp conditions to be on deck. Sadly, the improvement of the weather was matched by abosultely devastating news that a technical malfunction within the ship meant that it was no longer possible to make the voyage to Antarctica, and the crew had been instructed to turn back to Ushuaia immediately. This was obviously a devastating development, but the lack of clarity surrounding any compensation amplified the concern of the situation, but fortunately it was resolved rather favourably later in the day. But as a consequence of this development we now faced several days at sea as the ship slowly made its way back to port, hoping for no adverse weather to further delay our arrival. 

  Among the chaos of the day, there were a few seabirds on offer. Most of the selection was the usual species, with two Kerguelen Petrel being the most interesting species of the day. It was also good to sea both King Penguin and Macaroni Penguin from the boat, as the swam in the open sea.

  The real highlights of the day were the cetaceans, specifically the first sighting. Sheltering from the wind, we birded from the back of the ship when two fins appeared in front of us. They were not large whales, and in the immediate moments there was some confusion as to what we were looking at. But fortunately, the head and blowhole were soon visible and we realized we were looking at two Southern Bottlenose Whales. My first beaked whale, and a fantastic species to encounter. Our second encounter was a pod of three distant Hourglass Dolphins, but we saw little apart from the animals fins, so it was not a particularly exciting encounter. 

  After an emotional rollercoaster of a day, the seastate at sunset was flat calm, almost like a millpond, quite bizzare to witness. We hoped for a whale to emerge in the superb conditions but sadly it did not happen. That was the case until I was already in bed, when a call came over the tannoy of whales outside. I threw on some clothes and dashed onto deck, just in time to see a group of at least six Southern Bottlenose Whales regularly surfacing at the back of the ship. Even in the dull light their beaked whale profile was well observed! 

Oceanwide Day 11; South Georgia - Gold Harbour & Drygalski Fjord

  We had a busy morning for our final day on South Georgia. The plan was to visit the beach at Gold Harbour before breakfast, followed by a zodiac cruise around Cooper Bay and then head southwards towards Antarctica. But best laid plans can never fully account for the weather, and it played another significant part in how the day transpired. 

  The morning at Gold Harbour saw us wake up at 05:30, and be onshore by 06:00 in very snowy conditions. Towards the end of our 90 minutes on the beach the snow began to fall even harder, with it settling and covering all over the beach. The many King Penguins did not seem to mind too much, and they were certainly the highlight of the morning. It was quite special to see them in these different conditions, even it did cost us the views of the landscape. A Brown Skua tugging at Jonah’s trousers and trying to catch snowflakes was probably the other highlight.

  The trip to Cooper Bay was not as successful, and the swell there meant that we could not safely board the zodiacs. We still managed to observe the colonies of Macaroni Penguins and our first Chinstrap Penguins from the main ship, but it was not as intimate as would have been nice. As compensation we took the ship up the Drygalski Fjord not far from the bay to see the hanging glaciers which were very spectacular. The birding was highlighted by excellent numbers of Snow Petrels, sometimes flying incredibly close to us on the ship. At the end of the channel we also saw our first Weddel Seals hauled out here.

  The rest of the day was spent on deck as we took the ship south as we began our voyage to Antarctica. This was probably the birdiest stretch of water for the entire trip, with excellent numbers of commoner species and even good numbers of species such as Snow Petrel and Blue Petrel. An unexpected Grey-rumped Storm Petrel was one of the bonus birds we encountered, as were the four Kerguelen Petrels we saw. The first was very distant, but with each new individual the sighting came closer and the final two were very easy to identify, despite not being especially close. It was a very enjoyable afternoon, with other goodies including four species of Albatross and some Macaroni Penguins in the open sea. 

  On the cetacean front, it was good to finally get back to the action after two blank days. There was not a huge number of encounters, and even the one encounter we were actually identify was very brief, but it was still enough to confirm that it was two Fin Whales, quite close to the ship but not surfaced long enough to get good photos. 

  The evening was highlighted by a rather stunning sunset, our first sighting of the sun for almost a week. Next days will be spent at sea before we reach the continent of Antarctica.  

-King Penguin

-Southern Elephant Seal

Oceanwide Day 10; South Georgia - St Andrews Bay & Godthul

   It was another day of low cloud and snowfall on South Georgia, but fortunately there was no wind and very limited swell, which meant that our planned itinerary could proceed without issue. 

  And what an itinerary it promised to be, with the highlight being the morning visit to St Andrews bay, the largest King Penguin colony on the island with an estimated 250,000 birds at its peak. That said, this year the number was estimated at between 150 – 170,000 and I estimated around 100,000 in total. But it was still by far one of the greatest wildlife spectacles I have ever witnessed. There were penguins everywhere, but the staff had planned a route up to a small hill overlooking the main colony, and when you looked down upon the scene below you, it was truly overwhelming. The noise especially was really something, the sounds of thousands of penguins filling your ears. There were several comedic moments, including chicks charging around and crashing into adults and the squabbles of the parents. Truly one of the most incredible places I have ever been.

  The penguins were everything here, but there were other birds as well. Nothing notable, but it was very nice to see a Brown Skua chick, which was truly delightful. I finally got a good view of a white form of the Southern Giant Petrel, with one sat on the beach among the usual shades of grey and other Northern Giant Petrels. 

  In the afternoon we visited the bay of Godthul, where the staff offered a few options. There was a high up to a mountain overlooking the bay, a short stroll looking at the Gentoo Penguin colony, although it involved a steep climb through tough tussock grass, or a zodiac cruise. I opted for the second option, which meant more relaxed birding and enjoying the penguins.

  It is a good thing I did take this option, as I had the most incredible views of South Georgia Pintail and a single South Georgia Pipit. Both species showed exceptionally well, the Pintail especially were very confiding. The solitary pipit individual was not as confiding but was confidently feeding out in the open for much of the time we were there, sometimes less than a couple of metres away. An excellent performance, giving walk away views. 

  The Gentoo Penguins here were the main draw and we spent some time watching their antics. There were several ages of chicks, ranging from very small to medium sized chicks. We got to see them being fed by the adults, while the adults also ran around stealing nest material from each other. It was brilliant to watch, like an Attenborough documentary on display right in front of us.

  At 18:30 we were back on the ship, ready for our dinner and a debrief, after another incredible day on South Georgia. 

Oceanwide Day 9; South Georgia - Hercules Bay, Fortuna Bay & Grykonen

   After yesterdays relentless issues trying to land on South Georgia, today we managed to squeeze in three different excursions, enjoying the very best of what this spectacular island had to offer. Whilst the persistent fog refused to fully budge, the overall situation had improved but we had now an issue with persistent snowfall which had covered the island in a blanket of white, and continued to fall throughout the morning. 

  Our first excursion was a before breakfast zodiac ride around Hercules Bay. This bay had very steep sides, which despite not being able to see the tops of the mountains was made spectacular by the snowfall. The choice of location was for a colony of Macaroni Penguins in the tussock grass here, but where birds sat out on the open where they could be viewed from the boats. We saw a hundred or so individuals, although the swell of the zodiac made viewing a little tricky. In addition, there were a few King Penguins also sheltering in the bay.

  We returned for breakfast at 07:00 and then made our way around the corner to Fortuna Bay, one of the most spectacular sites on our itinerary. On the way we passed some amazing icebergs and stunning glaciers, made all the more atmospheric thanks to the fog and snowfall. The bay here has a King Penguin colony of some 20,000 birds, and it was indeed quite the site to witness. The whole vista was a little much to take in, such was the volume of birds on show. 

  I spent an hour with the King Penguins, but for the final hour of the excursion I fully focused on location a South Georgia Pipit. Maddeningly, one had been seen by the first team onshore, but when I passed the area it was crowded and there was no sign. Nevertheless, with most people now at the Penguin colony, I returned to the location and after an anxious wait, during which time I entertained myself with the South Georgia Pintails, I finally got distant views of the Pipit on the rock face. 

  Fortunately, the bird then descended into the tussocks and was soon feeding right in front of us, just a couple of meters away. At one point it even made its way on to the beach, but its time here was too fleeting for good photos. After making me sweat, in the end I had walkaway views of the species. Although not a particularly striking bird to look at, its status as the worlds most southerly passerine made it my most wanted species for the trip.

  With the relief of the Pipit under the belt, I was able to relax a bit more. We made our obligatory visit to the Grykonen whaling station, where the government of the island is based. There was no wildlife to see here, instead visiting to Shackleton’s grave and the island museum. It was an interesting afternoon, full of history. However, there is always wildlife, and we enjoyed quite a show from the Antarctic Fur Seal and Southern Elephant Seals present around the shore, with one of the Elephant Seal pups rolling of a small cliff being a particular highlight. 

  I returned to the ship at 18:15 after a long day, and after my notes spent the evening relaxing. Or that was the plan, but the crew had planned a BBQ for the enitre ship, so the evening was spent drinking, dancing and chatting with the staff. It was an excellent way to round out an excellent day.

Oceanwide Day 8; South Georgia - Possession Bay

   For whatever reason, our arrival to South Georgia was delayed from our original schedule. The plan had been to arrive before breakfast, then complete two activites; one before lunch and one after lunch. However, we did not reach the island until 10:30, and the weather began to play a bigger part in our trip, with the wind now preventing our landing at Right Whale Bay, the first destination. 

  Unpeterbed we headed round to Salisbury Plain, but the wind here also prevented our landing. The weather generally was very unfavourable, with strong wings, snow and sleet  and the persistent fog that had haunted our last few days at sea. Despite this, we could at least see the spectacular King Penguin colony on Salisbury Plain, even if we could not land to walk among them. 

  Despite this, the morning was still enjoyable and watching from the ship did bring its rewards. First I finally saw my first Blue Petrel, with one around the ship early morning. This species would be seen on and off throughout the day. Even better was the first Snow Petrel of the trip, but these sadly did not get encountered very often, with one early morning, one midday and two in the evening. The other birding highlight was a squad of 16 Snowy Sheathbill that landed on our ship when we approached Salisbury Plain. They continued to linger on the ship until dark, whilst ship hands tried desperately to scare them off, always in vain. It was very funny to watch.

  We also had our daily cetacean encounter to keep the streak going for another day. The morning was very liverly with Humpack Whales, with probably 10 individuals seen before breakfast. This incredible start fizzled out somewhat but at lunchtime we had phenomenal views of a Humback Whale breaching next to the ship, several times!

  At 16:30 we finally were able to land on South Georgia, at Possession Bay. Although not as spectacular as the other sites, it was still a great place to land. There were hundreds of Fur Seals on the beach, as well as a few King Penguins and Gentoo Penguins as well, although not in massive numbers. Although the pipit eluded us here, the South Georgia Pintail, for now considered a race of Yellow-billed Pintail, was present and we got very nice views as they swam between bathing Southern Elephant Seals.

  At dusk we lingered on deck to try see Orca as we left the bay, but we saw nothing on that front. The sea was alive with birds however, as hundreds of Prions headed to the island to their breeding colony. There were other species mingled among them, including the aforementioned Snow Petrels and another couple of Blue Petrels. An excellent way to round out an otherwise very mixed day.

Oceanwide Day 7; South Atlantic - Falkland Islands to South Georgia

   Fortunately the fog from the previous evening had lifted for the morning, although it returned with a cengance during the afternoon. That did mean though that the morning was quite enjoyable. Birding was limited to the same species as the previous day, with no particular highlight species but enjoyable views of many Antarctic Prions and Black-bellied Storm Petrel. It was only with the retrospect of photos that I was able to add a new species today, with two Fairy Prions circling around the ship at quite close quarters. We also encountered our first King Penguins of this trip today, with several individuals in the water around the ship. 

  The cetaceans on the other hand were excellent today. We had a mandatory briefing regarding biosecurity in the morning, and during this briefing we spotted the fins of dolphins out the window. While frustrating, we later learned that the animals had been Peales Dolphins, which was probably the species we were least concerned about. 

  After the briefing the activity really kicked off. At first we had an Antarctic Minkie Whale swimming close to the ship, but because it was porpoising it was wildy unpredictable. Each time it appeared it had moved closer to the ship and even passed right under it, appearing on the other side. This was another new whale for our trip, and the next was littlerally a minute away when a group of three Humback Whales appaeared in front of the ship. They passed by incredibly close, and we even got to see them spy-hopping. 

  About half an hour later we encountered another group of Humpbacks, these ones even close. The nearest animal breached right next to the boat, whilst Jonah and I were stood on the prow of the ship, allowing for absolutely unbelievable views of the animal! 

  The afternoon brought fog and tough conditions. Despite our best efforts, everyone eventually gave up. I enjoyed a nap and a shower, before a relaxed evening of sorting my notes and photos in preparation for reaching South Georgia tomorrow.  

Oceanwide Day 6; South Atlantic - Falkland Islands to South Georgia

   Today was a full day at sea as we sailed from the Falkland Islands to South Georgia. Sadly this meant that all of the birding had to be done on the deck of our ship, and the conditions were not particularly helpful thanks to a fog that reduced visibility throughout the day. There were also periods of rainfall, and the colder weather meant that generally being on deck was not a particularly pleasant experience, but we endured none the less.

  The birding throughout the day was slow, but with a few highlights that kept the spirits high. The morning was probably the birdiest part of the day, with a couple of Snowy Albatross hanging around the ship, and our first Black-bellied Storm Petrels although we would seem more throughout the day. Sadly I tried to sneak in a shower during this first part of the day and consequently missed a Blue Petrel and a Soft-plumaged Petrel. 

  After breakfast the slow birding continued, but bits of interest continued to appear. A few Grey-rumped Storm Petrels were nice, given that we expected to leave this species behind at the Falkland Islands. Another new species was Light-mantled Albatross, and we had two individuals hanging around the ship for some time, giving a phenomenal performance. Our only cetacean of the day came during this period, with a nice close Fin Whale appearing but sadly only surfacing once. 

  Once lunch had finished the will to continue really began to be tested. There were points during the afternoon when I really considered heading inside, but in those moments something occurred to raised the spriits. The first was two Macaroni Penguins not far from the boat. But the second was the real highlight, when I picked up an Atlantic Petrel off the Starboard side of the ship. I recognized it immediately, despite it being a rare bird, and was able to stay with it as it passed despite being at distance. Our afternoon was nicely rounded out by a close flyby from a South Georgia Diving Petrel, once I had checked in the book. The fog finally closed in around 17:00, driving us inside. 

  We managed half an hour after dinner once the fog had lifted, but it had only lifted thanks to some heavy rain. This addition time yielded nothing new, and we did not take too much convincing to call it a day at that point. 

Oceanwide Day 5; Falkland Islands - Stanley

   On the birding front it was a much quieter day today, as we would spend the day at the Falkland capital of Stanley, before setting out to the open ocean after lunch. I was aware that this would represent my last chance to see the Comersons Dolphin, and so was excited when we moved into the natural harbour of Stanley to see a dolphin following the shoreline. However, it turned out to be a Peale’s Dolphin, although it was curious to observe the animal swimming on its back whilst tail slapping! My first time seeing such a behavior.

  Fortunately I did not have to wait long to relieve the Comersons Dolphin issue, as whilst waiting for the zodiacs to take us in to Stanley, I spotted two bow-riding on an approaching launch. The launch subseqnetly docked at our ship and I was able to look down on the two animals swimming below me. Throughout the morning these Commersons Dolphins were around, accompanying us whilst we were on the zodiacs and also swimming in the harbour when we boarded. It was quite the encounter for a species I thought we might miss. 

  The birding in Stanley was much the same as other Falkland sites, with Falkland Steamer Duck and Kelp Goose on the shoreline, and the usual assortment of passerines on the land. The only additions were a Variable Hawk and a the House Sparrows singing from every garden. We returned to the ship at 12:30, had lunch and then headed out to the open sea.

  The sea started well, with hundreds of birds feeding as we departed the Falkland Islands, including a rarity in the form of an Arctic Tern. But once we had passed the assortment of feeding seanirds, the sea quietened down significantly. There were a few highlights, including two Grey-rumped Storm-Petrel and our first Grey-headed Albatross, but otherwise it was limited.

  Cetacean activity was not bad in the grand scheme of things, but it was quite frustrating. A pod of at least three Peales Dolphins made an appearance just out from the Falkland Islands, but they did not linger. Out at sea we had at least four whales, with blows observed not even that distant, but for whatever reason the animals themselves stayed low in the water and even through photos they were difficult to see. They were ultimately left as whale unidentified. 

  There was a thick sea fret that moved in later afternoon, and once the briefing and dinner were complete, it was too dark to do any more watching. So we settled in to relax in preparation for our full day at sea tomorrow.