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Bailey
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The
plan for the day was to land at Hannah Point on Livingston Island. It
is named after the sealing vessel Hannah of Liverpool that wrecked there
in 1820. Upon approaching the landing site, the Captain and expedition
leader decided that the sea conditions were unfit to land here. We were
told that landing at this site is often attempted, but it is rarely
accomplished. Bailey Head was chosen as an alternate site to attempt
a landing. This landing was very challenging for the Zodiac drivers
because of the constantly crashing waves and the surf at the beach.
All of the passengers were successfully unloaded on the beach, and we
were left to explore the largest Chinstrap penguin rookery. |
The rookery
had approximately 200,000 pairs of penguins, each of which were incubating
two eggs. At the end of the season there would be an estimated 500,000
penguins at Bailey Head. The average penguin couple has 1.4 chicks.
The beach was akin to the rush hour traffic in a city where everyone
was required to wear a tuxedo. Penguins were coming and going from feeding
in the ocean. In order to access the colony, which was set several hundred
meters from the beach, the traffic to and from the main nesting area
was funneled along a narrow pathway with a small lake on one side and
a steep slope on the other. |
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The density of penguins and
their constant trips to and from the sea had stained the thoroughfare
a light pink because of the guano that the penguins left in their tracks.
The guano was pink because of the main staple in the penguin’s diet:
krill. |
Penguins,
Penguins everywhere! With the exception of the steepest slopes, there
were penguins everywhere, and as far as the eye could see. . |
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This
chinstrap penguin looks o be eagerly awaiting its mate to come and relieve
it from nest duty. How would you feel if you had to sit in the same
place for over a week at a time. |
The penguins
call is unique and can be easily identified by its partner. Although
all penguin calls might sound the same to humans, the call of your mate
can easily be distinguished from the many other penguins. |
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A chick
has hatched! This curious little chinstrap peers out from under its
parent at one of its first looks at the foreboding environment that
it now has to live in. |
Many
obstacles, like this stream, came before the penguins, but their need
to get to the ocean gave them the courage to jump over it. After observing
them for about 20 minutes, about 75% were successful in not getting
wet. |
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