Saunders Island presented a bit of a challenge as the swells
and wind chop at the rocky ledges made for big steps getting in or out of the
Polarcirkle boats. But certainly the landing was worth any minor difficulties
as the sunshine and relatively warm temperatures made for a pleasant walk through
a very large colony of Gentoo Penguins with big Caracara birds on patrol for
easy pickings. On the nearby hillside there were Magellanic Penguins with their
nesting burrows and several flocks of Upland Geese. We also visited a large
colony of Rockhopper Penguins and adjacent were some Cormorants. On our way
back to the landing site we passed the bones of a whale and we learned this
animal had washed up on the beach, dead and the bones were then re-assembled by
the islands residents for us to see.
Carcass Island continued our most pleasant day. We had the
opportunity for a long walk around the bay to a colony of Gentoo Penguins.
Farther on there was an overlook and we saw a penguin being devoured by a South
American sea lion. While it was not nature in action there was a great deal of
action around the large dining table in the settlement lodge as it covered with
all kinds of tasty cakes and cookies and scones. There was tea or coffee to
wash the goodies down and we returned to the ship for dinner is a ‘less than
starving condition’.
Several of us set up tents and camped overnight on the
island. The winds decreased during the night and ground was soft. Best of all
the evening was cloud free and we could see more stars than could be imagined.
Most of the constellations our not familiar to those of us raised in the
northern hemisphere but there was one constellation we could recognize and that
was Orion. Yes his belt and knife were a bit upside dome from our home view but
there he was. We were also quite sure we could identify the Southern Cross. Morning
arrived and we quickly packed up the tents and sleeping bags and returned to
the FRAM as we headed for our next and last island landing at Westpoint.
