Saturday, 25 December 2010

Merry Christmas

No Snow here, but surprisingly a few Snow Petrels yesterday. Now fully on shift, got my piece of kit in the water at 4am this morning.

Friday, 24 December 2010

Off and going

We left Stanley on the 21st, with all our cargo (including some boxes that were originally put on another reasearch ship by mistake and then taken off just in time when it made an unscheduled return to port to fix motor problems). Another trip out to Gypsy Cove the day before found it a somewhat more relaxed place.



 Gypsy Cove II, for those who like nature to be cute and cuddly
The JCR and the Fram at FIPASS, Stanley



Lifeboat deployed (for testing)


Leaving through the Narrows

 Afterdeck, without the stern gantry, which got damaged last summer. It means we can only use a small net

 Block suspended from a couple of wires tied between the trawl posts, means we can fish with the normal wire which will make things much easier.


 Wandering Albatross



 Wilson's Petrels

 
 Southern Royal Albatross

 Great Shearwater

Grey-headed Albatross


We're now just a couple of hours away from our first waypoint close to South Georgia. Testing of kit has gone well so hopefully we'll soon be into the science. A Fin Whale came fairly close during one of the stops, hopefully there will be plenty more.

Wednesday, 22 December 2010

Nature as it is

Managed to get out to Gypsy Cove after dinner during mobilisation and the scene was quite dramatic. If you like nature to be cute and cuddly, it's probably best you don't go through all the photos (stick with the first 6).






Magellanic Penguin, with lots of relaxed penguins behind

Young Magellanic Penguin

 Yorke Bay, with Magellanic Penguins. The beach is fenced off as a suspected minefield. This leaves the penguins in peace - well, from people and dogs anyway...
 Panicked penguins running up the hill

 The reason for the panic, bull Sea Lion with a penguin




Cautious penguins

 Turkey Vulture with the scraps

 Another attempt, this one was unsuccessful as the penguins scattered across the beach








Sea Lion chasing another penguin on the beach
Successfully




 



Dismembering the penguin just offshore, blood and guts all over the place. Such is nature.