Although perhaps a surprise for polar weather, a little morning rain did not diminish our enjoyment of Petermann Island. Walks extended to both a scenic viewpoint and a mixed-species penguin colony. To our delight, many of the gentoo penguins were feeding their chicks while sheltering them from the precipitation, and multiple sets of twins were observed. Adelie penguin nests, fewer in number, clustered along the high outcrops. Provoking agitation and concern amongst the penguins, skuas swooped low over the colony hoping for a momentarily untended nest and an opportunistic meal.
Now approaching the peak of Antarctic summer, icy slopes have turned from white to green and pink due to snow algae. Just as the dramatic blue of an iceberg catches one’s attention, so too do these bold shades as we hike, Zodiac, or sail past expansive algal blooms. A graveyard of sculptural icebergs pushed aground in the shallows by wind was our afternoon focus, and this wonderful day culminates with an evening passage of the Lemaire Channel.
