Page 160 - 2003 - Atlantic Islands

We saw the white Snowy Sheathbill (who feeds off the dropping of the rest of the

creatures) many king penguins and gentoos nesting together with all the fur seals and

elephant seals among them. There were only about 20 baby seals (“wooly boolies”)

on shore but we enjoyed each and every one. There were nesting albatrosses,

black-browed, dusky capped, and lightly mantled sooties, in the tussocks as well.

Obviously, real estate is at a premium in the Subantarctic just as it is in the Arctic.

Other birds we viewed were giant petrels, snowy sheathbills, shags, pintail ducks. The

giant petrels were fun to watch because they have such trouble getting into the air

off the water - they sort of “run” across the top of the waves trying to get airborne

and they don’t always make it either. They also crash land face first into the waves

when they are trying to settle gracefully onto the ocean. Another of the wonderful

things to see out here was the sinuous, undulating kelp, long strands rocking back

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