Day 19 – Gentoo penguins and a couple of channels

Today we took the zodiac to Cuverville Island, which is home to some 9,000 breeding pairs of Gentoo penguins and at least two Adelie penguins. We had an early start because there were strong winds forecasted for the afternoon. The smart penguins set up their nests higher on the hill because the snow melts earlier and the chicks have a better chance of surviving the first winter. The downside is that they have to climb the hill every time they come back from feeding. Going down can be easier, we saw a few of them sliding down on their bellies.

See the baby chick below just sticking its head up…

We also saw these two Adelie penguins. They do not have the colorful beaks that the Gentoos have.

Gentoos are fast swimmers.

In the afternoon, we went through the Neumayer Channel and attempted to pass through the Lemaire Channel, but it was choked with ice and the captain turned the Octantis around before we got to the narrowest point of the channel. Both were beautiful to pass through.

We also made a stop in front of Port Lockroy, which is also known as the penguin post office. It is a British research station where you can mail post cards.