South Georgia 2011

South Georgia is a lonely island in the southern Atlantic with the most amazing wildlife on the planet. These photos don't do the place justice, but we tried.

2011 Antarctica Ocean Harbour South Georgia Georgia 2011
From the Falkland Islands we traveled southeast for two days on the National Geographic Explorer to reach the remote and mysterious South Georgia Islands.
South Georgia
We spent 5 days visiting the sites marked on the map. Our first day was rainy, another day it was snowing intermittently, and the remaining days were glorious.
South Georgia
Kelp gull in a snow storm
2011 Antarctica Hercules Bay Kelp Gull South Georgia South Georgia
Risting Glacier in South Georgia
2011 Antarctica Risting Glacier South Georgia South Georgia
An explosion of penguins (just playing with the camera)
2011 Antarctica King Penguin Salisbury Plain South Georgia South Georgia
King penguins, some molting, as they take off their coats for the summer season.
2011 Antarctica King Penguin Salisbury Plain South Georgia South Georgia
This is Salisbury Plain where a 100,000 pairs of penguins reside, an amazing rookery.
2011 Antarctica King Penguin Salisbury Plain South Georgia South Georgia
King penguins standing tall
2011 Antarctica King Penguin Salisbury Plain South Georgia South Georgia
Beak to beak
2011 Antarctica Salisbury Plain South Georgia South Georgia
Rocks, grass, and moss
2011 Antarctica Fortuna Bay South Georgia Stromess Harbour South Georgia
Marching onward
2011 Antarctica Salisbury Plain South Georgia South Georgia
King penguin chicks standing in the rain
2011 Antarctica King Penguin Salisbury Plain South Georgia South Georgia
See the front of my coat.
2011 Antarctica King Penguin Salisbury Plain South Georgia South Georgia
And isn't the back attractive too?
2011 Antarctica King Penguin Salisbury Plain South Georgia South Georgia
Another view of the king penguin chicks and their parents at Salisbury Plain.
2011 Antarctica Salisbury Plain South Georgia South Georgia
Checking out the camera
2011 Antarctica Salisbury Plain South Georgia South Georgia
Every direction we looked we saw more and more king penguins.
2011 Antarctica Salisbury Plain South Georgia South Georgia
Off to work in their business attire.
2011 Antarctica King Penguin Salisbury Plain South Georgia South Georgia
A headless penguin
South Georgia
A tender moment.
2011 Antarctica Gold Harbour King Penguin South Georgia South Georgia
Curious.
South Georgia
This is a mature fur seal. They're aggressive and will charge you if you get too close.
2011 Antarctica Fur Seal King Penguin Salisbury Plain South Georgia South Georgia
Approaching Fortuna Bay in the early morning.
2011 Antarctica Fortuna Bay South Georgia South Georgia
A tender loving bite by the male elephant seal to a member of his harem.
2011 Antarctica Elephant Seal Gold Harbour South Georgia South Georgia
Elephant seals sprawled along the beach with penguins scattered about in the magnificent setting of Gold Harbor.
2011 Antarctica Elephant Seal Gold Harbour South Georgia South Georgia
King penguins scurrying past an awakened elephant seal.
2011 Antarctica Elephant Seal Gold Harbour King Penguin South Georgia South Georgia
A young female elephant seal pup (called a weaner)
2011 Antarctica Elephant Seal Gold Harbour South Georgia South Georgia
A smiling pair of weaners
2011 Antarctica Elephant Seal Gold Harbour South Georgia South Georgia
Coexisting.
2011 Antarctica Elephant Seal Gold Harbour King Penguin South Georgia South Georgia
What a beauty (male elephant seal)
2011 Antarctica Elephant Seal Gold Harbour South Georgia South Georgia
Kelp gull enjoying the snow.
2011 Antarctica Hercules Bay Kelp Gull South Georgia South Georgia
Weaners frolicking
2011 Antarctica Elephant Seal Gold Harbour South Georgia South Georgia
Male elephant seal surrounded by his harem
2011 Antarctica Elephant Seal Gold Harbour South Georgia South Georgia
It was relatively warm so this elephant seal flipped dirt on his back to keep cool.
2011 Antarctica Elephant Seal Gold Harbour South Georgia South Georgia
Job well done.
2011 Antarctica Elephant Seal Gold Harbour South Georgia South Georgia
What an amazing setting to observe these beautiful king penguins.
2011 Antarctica Gold Harbour King Penguin South Georgia South Georgia
A handsome weaner.
2011 Antarctica Elephant Seal Gold Harbour South Georgia South Georgia
A skua landing among the penguins
2011 Antarctica Gold Harbour Skua South Georgia South Georgia
A southern giant petrel preparing to attack a chick.
2011 Antarctica Gold Harbour King Penguin South Georgia Southern Giant Petrel South Georgia
The kill.
2011 Antarctica Gold Harbour King Penguin South Georgia Southern Giant Petrel South Georgia
A parent protecting the young.
2011 Antarctica Gold Harbour King Penguin South Georgia South Georgia
King penguins at Ocean Harbor
2011 Antarctica South Georgia
I snuck up on this male elephant seal to capture his reflection while napping.
2011 Antarctica Elephant Seal Ocean Harbour South Georgia South Georgia
Ocean Harbor, a whaling station in the early 1900s. The wreckage is the Bayard, an iron-hulled ship built in 1864.
2011 Antarctica Ocean Harbour South Georgia South Georgia
Elephant seals sunning themselves on the beach in Ocean Harbor.
2011 Antarctica Elephant Seal Ocean Harbour South Georgia South Georgia
A fur seal shaking the rain water off his fur.
2011 Antarctica Fur Seal Prion Island South Georgia South Georgia
Reindeer on Prion Island. The reindeer were imported from Scandinavia many years ago.
2011 Antarctica Fortuna Bay Reindeer South Georgia Stromess Harbour South Georgia