Day 278: Antarctica Cruise Day 14 – Half Moon Island
Our first and last stop of the New Year in Antarctica was at Half Moon Island – a small island within the South Shetland Islands with a rocky beach and a very large colony of Chinstrap Penguins (Alex’s daily nest-count puts it at 1,983 pairs). We could have spent hours just standing around, watching the loud, feisty little birds stealing rocks, fighting with their neighbors and feeding their chicks (oh wait…we did do that!). When the rookery got a little crowded with fellow tourists, we continued down the crescent-shaped beach to check out some whale bones, a dilapidated old waterboat, and some of the island’s other resident nesting birds.
The decaying skeleton of an abandoned waterboat greets us when we land on shore at Half Moon Island
Sadly, our streak of fabulous weather seems to have disappeared with the old year – the snowy ground and the cloudy sky are almost the same color, and it’s getting chilly
A huge colony of about 2,000 pairs of Chinstrap Penguins have built their nests under the lichen-covered rocks on Half Moon Island
Like the Gentoos, the Chinstraps have a little more flexibility toward their changing environment and their population numbers have remained strong – they are the second most abundant penguin species on earth.
Chinstraps are quite athletic little guys, and prefer to build their nests in rocky cliffs high above the beach – watching them hop their way up the hillsides is alternately amusing and nerve-racking as you are sure their stubby legs are too clumsy to climb over the jagged rocks without toppling over
Several nesting Chinstraps start squawking and snapping at a bothersome neighbor who was getting a little too close for comfort. Wary of rock-stealing, several penguins gang up on the interloper, peaking at her face, wings and legs until she finally runs away
Chicks! This Chinstrap rookery is full of fluffy gray babies, each chirping for a barf-induced lunch from mom. Even though she’s probably tired and covered in shit, this dedicated mama spews some regurgitated krill for her chick. #parenthood
Chinstraps aren’t the only birds with babies on the island – on the other side of the path we find a small colony of Kelp Gulls, with some healthy-looking spotted chicks demanding a meal.
While we don’t see any eggs yet, several Skuas are guarding their territory on the beach, making us think a bundle of joy may be on the way
A lone Weddell Seal naps on the snow, occasionally scratching his fur as he finishes his summer molt
At the other end of the beach we find the remains of a Blue Whale jawbone and skull
In the distance, we can see the bright blue flags painted on the Argentinean Naval Base, Camara Station