My assortment of penguin work are the results of an intrepid journey to the Antarctic.
Intrepid Sub-Antarctic expedition
I spent 5 weeks navigating from the Falkland Islands to South Georgia and the Antarctic Peninsula on a Russian ice-breaker. We have been battered by pressure 12 winds, 10 metre excessive waves and sub-zero temperatures, however, fortunately, not being the form of one who suffers from seasickness, these excessive circumstances made the journey all of the extra thrilling.
Antarctica is an unimaginable continent. Earlier than we joined the journey, my spouse and I had spent per week tenting within the Falkland Islands, simply ourselves and the penguins. Though the penguins there have been under no circumstances scarce, or shy, their black and white plumage remains to be a problem to {photograph} and I used this primary week to follow getting the publicity proper earlier than setting off on the epic journey from the tip of South America to the icy continent. As I boarded our ship, a Russian vessel named the Vavilov, I used to be nervous. I had such excessive hopes for this journey, I questioned if the expertise would dwell as much as my expectations. We had a couple of days to go at sea earlier than I’d discover out. These have been crammed with attention-grabbing talks and lectures about what to anticipate by the consultants on board.
Albatross within the slipstream
As we cruised we have been accompanied by a procession of birds, using off the slipstream. The gap these birds cowl is extraordinary. We noticed arctic terns from the North Pole and royal albatross all the best way from Australia and New Zealand, foraging for his or her chicks over 5,000 miles from the nest website. However black-browed albatross and wandering albatross, which has an 11 ft wingspan – the longest of any chicken on the earth – have been our principal companions
For 3 days the ocean was pink with krill, a sort of shrimp and the staple weight loss program of whales, seals, penguins, petrels and a lot sea life. This shrimp is so plentiful that put collectively it has the heaviest biomass of any single species on the earth. A truth I might solely comprehend after having seen shrimp swarm the waters for myself.
South Georgia
After a couple of extra days at sea South Georgia loomed on the horizon. The island was spectacular. Black rock mountains towered up into the clouds. These peaks have been interspersed with starkly contrasting white and turquoise glaciers that tumbled into the icy sea. As we drew nearer, we might hear the faint moans and groans of fur seals echoing throughout the waves. It felt and regarded so pre-historic that I wouldn’t have been stunned if pterodactyls had flown down from the clifftops. The ship dropped anchor and I used to be first within the queue to get into one of many zodiacs heading for the shoreline.
King penguin colony
We have been taken to Salisbury Plain, host to the most important king penguin colony on South Georgia with 200,000 birds. It was mid-summer in Antarctica – though temperatures have been nonetheless under freezing – and we have been going to be there for 4 hours. What we noticed once we landed was mind-blowing. I didn’t know which method to flip. There was simply a lot happening. There have been elephant seals hauled up on the seaside to moult, fur seals giving beginning to pups and a mass of king penguins so far as the attention might see.
King penguins
My cameras started working extra time. I had made this journey simply to see king penguins on this form of scale and now that I used to be lastly right here I discovered myself confused. Proper in entrance of me, a procession of grownup king penguins strolling all the way down to the ocean from the principle colony grouped collectively in splendid formation. They appeared virtually to be posing for a portray.
But it was a younger, dull-coloured penguin that caught my eye. Not like his sensible grownup associates, he was lined from tip to toe in an unsightly shaggy coat of brown down feathers. However what he lacked in seems he made up for in bravado. Younger penguins can’t swim till they’re absolutely moulted into their waterproof feathers – however this significantly feisty youth clearly hadn’t learn any of the chicken books and was following the others straight to the water’s edge. He strutted straight as much as the crashing waves and dived within the with out the slightest hesitation, leaping the breakers in fast succession.
However he quickly received into hassle. His shaggy brown down turned waterlogged and he needed to battle again to shore along with his satisfaction in tatters. He made it again with the assistance of a big wave and dragged himself up and out of the water. Standing glumly on the seaside, he regarded completely dejected. I watched him as he regarded longingly after his older friends as they marched well previous him and into the freezing sea.
I used to be so engrossed on this uncommon behaviour that I hadn’t observed the fog rolling in. We might now not see our ship. As we climbed again aboard the zodiacs it sounded its foghorn so we might discover it once more. A day handed as we checked out whaling stations after which the next morning we anchored at St Andrew’s Bay – the second largest king penguin colony on South Georgia it’s dwelling to some 100,000 birds.
Earlier than the touchdown, we have been briefed that we weren’t allowed to go nearer than three metres to any penguin or seal, however that is simpler stated than finished. Because the zodiacs beached on the shore we have been confronted with a wall of blubber: elephant seals. Additionally, and by far the worst impediment, have been territorial male fur seals which might cost at you want offended Rottweilers. As with a lot wildlife, the golden rule remained true: stand your floor and the animal will cease, run and it’ll chase you.
Fur seals
Nonetheless, issues received slightly alarming when a seal charged at my spouse. She bravely stood her floor because the seal opened its mouth, revealing razor-sharp tooth, and leant over to ‘mockingly’ chunk my spouse’s calf. After the seal had safely moved away, we laughed, however I didn’t discover it fairly so amusing when it inevitably occurred to me. Even a killer whale will flinch away from seal gnashers, so looking back, it wasn’t all that humorous!
Nonetheless, the penguins did not appear daunted. I watched as one plucky penguin tried to barge its means via a crowd of elephant seals, pushing its means via the wall of blubber proper into the trail of a really massive and grumpy elephant seal. The seal roared a warning on the penguin, however as a substitute of retreating to security, the penguin retaliated; slapping the massive seal proper throughout the face with its flipper!
Having made it via the seal gauntlet, I headed as much as the penguin colony. Penguins are not like any wildlife I’ve ever photographed, or painted. They’re truly actually eager about people and in case you sit down you quickly entice a crowd of onlookers. I laid down on my stomach photographing a pair as they carried out their unimaginable courtship ritual, a form of gradual dance which unfolds over a number of days.
Penguin’s rhythmic courtship dance
The couple struck a pose in good synchronisation, earlier than slowly morphing into the subsequent pose after which the subsequent. It’s unimaginable to observe and after the slow-motion dance, they set off on a grand promenade following one another with a curiously exaggerated stroll. All of it regarded so romantic. But I used to be stunned to see that the top of this courtship was far much less so. The male received the feminine in a headlock along with his beak, stood on her foot, and pushed her forcibly to the bottom earlier than mating her – I used to be fairly aghast!
Up till then, I had been transfixed, however thenI regarded down on the soil I used to be mendacity on to see that on nearer inspection it was a composition of penguin excrement, feathers, down and physique elements of useless penguins. I used to be nearly to brush myself down after I felt a tough tapping on my boot. I turned onto my aspect to see a younger penguin standing over me in clear contradiction to all the principles. It began calling at me, flapping its flippers and spinning round as if it was auditioning for Completely satisfied Ft.
The journey got here to an finish all too rapidly. However I stay connected to this very particular place and hope to return there someday.
Work Impressed by Antarctica
My journey to the Antarctic impressed a brand new assortment of vibrant work. Scroll all the way down to see all of them.
We Three Kings | Restricted Version Print | Accessible Right here
King Penguins of Saunders Island | Restricted Version Print | Accessible Right here
King Penguin Pair | Unique Acrylic Portray | Accessible Right here
Gentoo and Chicks | Portray | Extra like this Accessible Right here
Journey Information
I travelled to South Georgia with Peregrine Adventures.
