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.
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