Page 13 - Seniorstoday January 2023 Issue

chilling rain, sleet and wind.
Late afternoon saw us on the shingle
beach at Stromness Bay. Towering peaks
and a glacial terrain formed a stunning
backdrop to the home of fur seals, Snowy
Sheathbills (birds) and Skuas that harassed
a small colony of Gentoo Penguins, waiting
to snatch their eggs.
Day 9
Wednesday, 2 November 2022
Wind Force – E1, Sea – calm
Gold Harbour and Ocean Harbour
Black Browed Albatross
The stuff of nightmares!!
Wake-up call at 3.30 a.m.
The 1st rays of the sun hitting this harbour
island is meant to be a spectacular sight.
Dragged ourselves out of our warm snug
beds to find cloud cover. No Sun. Later, left
for Gold Harbour which was packed with
seals, isolated moulting King Penguins and
aggressive male Fur seals. Elephant bull
seals have harems of up to 150 females,
which they guard zealously. If a young
adult male dares to approach one of their
harem, a huge battle ensues, usually
resulting in the younger bull retreating.
The bulls, 15-17 ft in length, mate with any
female, age notwithstanding. The Bertrab
Glacier formed a spectacular backdrop to
the surroundings. Meanwhile, the snowfall
had grown heavier, turning the black sand
SENIORS TODAY | ISSUE #43 | JANUARY 2023
Baby Fur Seal
to pure white. Truly magical!!
The beach gave way to patches on
which grew big clumps of grass, in the
midst of which nestled albatross, seals –
humongous, large, medium, small were
lying around. Just about everywhere. We
were warned to keep a healthy distance
from them. It was akin to walking through
a minefield. They were everywhere. And
resembled rocks so closely, it was difficult
to spot them. They just to lie in one place,
almost immobile, till they decide to snort
or grunt. Their upper bodies then come
up, faces skyward and then, opening their
red mouths and exposing their teeth, they
let forth bellows and grunts. Albatross
flying around, would land among them
and walk around, huge wings outstretched
to dry. Some were indulging in some sort
of mating (?) dance, ducking their heads
up and down, then clapping their beaks
against each other. This ritual would
continue for 2-3 minutes, to the non-stop
seal orchestra. I witnessed a giant bull
elephant – at least 15 ft in length charge
South Georgia Pintails
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