Cuverville Island and Palmer Station, Anvers Island
Early in the morning, we arrived off Cuverville Island in the scenic Errera Channel. Cuverville is home to several thousand pairs of breeding Gentoo penguins, and compared to the last Gentoos we saw on the Aitcho Islands in the South Shetlands, these penguins were not as far along in their breeding cycle. This makes sense since we were farther south in latitude, and therefore the snow and ice have only just given way to the nesting sites. Instead of large independent and roaming Gentoo chicks up north, today we saw two to three week old Gentoo chicks still under the diligent care of their parents, and because today was a bit blustery, the small chicks were tucked in under the brood patch, all the better to keep their heads warm. So we saw a lot of small penguin butts sticking out of their guarding parents bodies. This made for some interesting photos.
Just after lunch, we arrived in Arthur Harbor, just off Palmer Station. Palmer is home to 42 U.S. scientists and their support team. The station conducts primarily biological research, focusing on phytoplankton, krill, penguins and other seabirds, and other vital global oceanographic and atmospheric studies. After an introduction to the United States Antarctic Program in general, we then headed for a visit to the station. We saw everything from the fuel tanks to the fish tanks and even got to purchase some cool souvenirs from the station’s gift shop. Since the small station could only accommodate a third of us at a time, the other two groups either went to Torgersen Island (home to thousands of Adelie penguins), or headed out for a Zodiac cruise in search of such fun things as leopard seals on the hunt.
The evening recap and cocktail hour was full of chatter, questions, introductions and laughter as many of the station personnel came out for a visit to the National Geographic Endeavour, their self-proclaimed favorite ship in the Antarctic. A beautiful sunset broke through the clouds in the wee hours of the night, as our cozy little ship stayed nestled at the quiet anchorage in Arthur Harbor.
Early in the morning, we arrived off Cuverville Island in the scenic Errera Channel. Cuverville is home to several thousand pairs of breeding Gentoo penguins, and compared to the last Gentoos we saw on the Aitcho Islands in the South Shetlands, these penguins were not as far along in their breeding cycle. This makes sense since we were farther south in latitude, and therefore the snow and ice have only just given way to the nesting sites. Instead of large independent and roaming Gentoo chicks up north, today we saw two to three week old Gentoo chicks still under the diligent care of their parents, and because today was a bit blustery, the small chicks were tucked in under the brood patch, all the better to keep their heads warm. So we saw a lot of small penguin butts sticking out of their guarding parents bodies. This made for some interesting photos.
Just after lunch, we arrived in Arthur Harbor, just off Palmer Station. Palmer is home to 42 U.S. scientists and their support team. The station conducts primarily biological research, focusing on phytoplankton, krill, penguins and other seabirds, and other vital global oceanographic and atmospheric studies. After an introduction to the United States Antarctic Program in general, we then headed for a visit to the station. We saw everything from the fuel tanks to the fish tanks and even got to purchase some cool souvenirs from the station’s gift shop. Since the small station could only accommodate a third of us at a time, the other two groups either went to Torgersen Island (home to thousands of Adelie penguins), or headed out for a Zodiac cruise in search of such fun things as leopard seals on the hunt.
The evening recap and cocktail hour was full of chatter, questions, introductions and laughter as many of the station personnel came out for a visit to the National Geographic Endeavour, their self-proclaimed favorite ship in the Antarctic. A beautiful sunset broke through the clouds in the wee hours of the night, as our cozy little ship stayed nestled at the quiet anchorage in Arthur Harbor.
