Steeple Jason Island & Carcass Island, 12/6/2021, National Geographic Resolution
Aboard the
National Geographic Resolution
Antarctica
Some days are simply just great days. Today was one of them. With our first stop of the day at the pastural Carcass Island with the sun shining and Zodiac ride to the beach being filled with bow riding Commerson’s and Peale’s dolphins, to the beautiful birds we encountered along the shoreline. Our afternoon turned out to be one of the highlights of our trip with a visit to Steeple Jason Island and the largest black-browed albatross colony in the world.
Steve Morello has had a long and colorful career in the natural history world. Born in New Jersey, he was lucky to be able to summer on the shores of Cape Cod. Whether it was exploring the tidal pools, snorkeling along the beach, or hiking in the dun...
Sarah was raised on a multi-generational family dairy farm, established circa 1815 in Lucas, Ohio. Consequently, her first paying job was milking cows! Rewarding as it was to get paid for the first time, she found her passion behind the lens of a cam...
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Light winds and calm waters greeted us as National Geographic Endurance entered Port Stanley this morning. We disembarked after a breakfast, and the Zodiacs brought us ashore, where morning excursions awaited. Some of us enjoyed a visit to Fitzroy Farm, while others took a tour of local highlights. Some guests enjoyed a walk through town for some shopping. The streets were peppered with spectators and colorful runners for the annual local marathon. The afternoon offered the option of a second excursion, including one to Gypsy Cove. Detailed stories from local guides related eyewitness accounts that could never be found in books. After a long day, the winds picked up, and it was time for an exciting Zodiac ride back to the ship for a very special dinner. If that wasn’t enough, the evening’s entertainment was a local band brought on board by our ever so able and creative expedition leader. We could not have hoped for a better end to such a full day.
Despite the stiff breeze, we were able to land on one of the southernmost islands in the Falkland Islands: Barren Island. With dozens of South American sea lion harems and hundreds of southern giant petrel chicks, we had plenty to see and photograph on shore. The afternoon was spent ship-cruising Falkland Sound, watching sei whales and flocks of feeding Magellanic penguins.
On days like today with a grey sky atop a grey, featureless sea, I can’t help but wonder how animals find their way around. Take the black-browed albatrosses and southern giant petrels we’ve seen from the ship today. How do they find their way back to the Falklands in these conditions? If it’s magnetism, how do they perceive the magnetic field? Sight? Feel? Can they “see” it on a cloudy day? If it’s smell, how far away can they smell their nest or island of origin? If it’s ultrasonic sound, how far off can they detect that, and how do they know it originates from their island specifically? Sea days are a treat. They allow us time to reflect on just that – the sea and all the creatures that have learned to rely on this seemingly featureless landscape. Today it was the northern edge of the Scotia Sea, halfway between South Georgia and the Falkland Islands, that garnered my attention and raised this list of questions. Questions, it turns out, the scientific world is still looking for answers to.
