Page 31 - 2008 NZ SUB ANTARCTIC ISLANDS - SMARTPHONE

Regardless of size or breed, penguins are raucous and smelly birds. They bray variously but
always loudly. Their rookeries are detectable far away from the colonies because of the intense
odor of their guano. Perhaps an exclusive diet of seafood will produce that problem?

Our Zodiac explorations started off in very bumpy seas that made boarding the little rubber boats
quite a challenge. The wonderful able-bodied seaman made it all happen without incident
however. There was rain in our faces under overcast skies. We all knew better than to complain
however since we had already been told that our weather in this area has been extraordinarily
good. Some years the seaside explorations to Snare’s Island are made impossible by the rough
and tumble seas! So we happily scrambled aboard the Zodiacs and looked eagerly through the
raindrops at the scenes passing by us.

Our Snare’s Island circumnavigations were made so entertaining by the funny antics of the
penguins we saw there and we were able to get so close to them that we could have touched them
had that been permitted. Of course, we were also warned that they are aggressive and could
easily snap off a fingertip. So no one tried that trick. We also enjoyed the beauty of the island
with its dense forests of daisy trees in partial bloom where tiny little warbler-sized birds were
flitting and hopping. We saw the tiny black and white tomtits, the lovely white and elegant
Antarctic terns, the interesting fern birds, sooty shearwaters, and the strikingly marked red-billed
gulls with their bright white feathers so sharply contrasted with their bright red bills and red feet

The Zodiacs maneuvered us deftly into little inlets where we could approach the penguins and
watch an injured elephant seal on shore. He had a big gash on his shoulder that appeared to be
from fighting, perhaps for a harem of his own. The wound was clean and he could certainly
move about so we hope that he will have a good recovery. The penguins on this island have such
an awesome journey to undertake at least twice daily. The cliff faces they traverse are incredibly
steep and they must get completely up that declivity into the daisy tree forest where they have
their nests among the tree roots. It is fascinating to note that though these nest burrow
excavations can cause damage to the daisy trees, the penguins are good stewards of their nest
sites because they move around from year to year on the island, allowing the trees to recover.
Too bad we humans can’t learn to conserve our resources that way! If there wasn’t so much
overfishing in these waters, perhaps the Hooker sea lions and the penguins would not be losing
their young to starvation.

We went though arches & tunnels of granite carved by the incessant action of the tides. We were
alternately wet and dry depending on the vagaries of the weather. These lonely islands in the
windswept Southern Ocean are really quite spectacular. Their high basaltic cliff faces and the sea
stacks around their peripheries are cold and glowering. The abundant plant life, both terrestrial
and marine, softens the harshness and the wonderful animals who call these places home prove
that the islands are not hostile to life. It is amusing to watch the penguins stand uncertainly at the
sea’s edge, seeming to summon up their courage to plunge into the sea. They often choose to
leap into the waving and beckoning kelp leaves rather than directly into the surging waves.
Maybe the kelp cushions the fall?

All this activity occurred during our morning Zodiac exploration. In the afternoon, we had
another look at the island’s treasures! The squally rains kept spattering us intermittently and the
sea had gotten a bit rougher at first, but then after a really slow transition, the sun burst out of the
heavy clouds and blue sky won the field. While our clothes steamed in the drying sunlight, we
continued to look in amazement and awe at beautiful Snare’s Island. How wonderful it is that
DOC has been able to keep this island pristine and entirely inhabited by only native wildlife and
plants!

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