Bird and Cetacean Sighting

Antarc05 expedition
“Sound of the Southern Oceans”

Summary: :(KG= King George Island; BS= Bransfield Strait; DP = Drake Passage)

Birds

Pinnipeds:

Cetaceans:

Daily Logs:

(Cc = Cloud Cover; temp= temperature; kts= Knots)

03DEC05

Punta Arenas to King George Island

Cc= 100%, temp= near freezing; winds 30-40 kts , gusts up to 60.

Short walks along shoreline, less than 10.5 Km from King Sejong Base.

• Mammals: None
• Birds:
  • Subantarctic “Brown” Skua (Catharacta antarctica lonnbergi) on rocky shoreline and in flight.
  • Antarctic tern ( Sterna vittata) in flight.
  • Gentoo penguins ( Pygoscelis papus), in the water near shoreline, exiting onto rocky beach

04DEC05

King George Island

Cc= 100%, temp= near freezing; winds 30-40 kts , gusts up to 60.

Hike from King Sejong Station, 2Km along shoreline to Penguin Colony.

• Mammals:
  • Southern Elephant seal (Mirounga leonine), resting on rocky shore, 5-10 m from wave line
  • Weddell seal (Leptonychotes weddellii), sleeping on snow patch, 15-20m from wave line
• Birds:
  • Subantarctic “Brown” Skua (Catharacta antarctica lonnbergi) on snow, ice and rocky shoreline and in flight.
  • Antarctic tern ( Sterna vittata), nesting on loose rocky scree, 5-15m uphill from shore and 20-50m inland and in flight
  • Southern Giant Petrel ( Macronectes giganteus), nesting on sheltered rocky out crops, 3-4m uphill from shore and 20-50m inland.
  • Chinstrap penguins ( Pygoscelis antarctica), in the water near shoreline or on the nearby beach.
  • Gentoo penguins ( Pygoscelis papus), in the water near shoreline, exiting onto beach and climbing steep slope up to their nesting colony, 100-250m uphill from the shore and 100-500m inland.

05DEC05

King George Island

Cloud cover 50-75% (partly cloudy), temperatures just below freezing, winds: 15 knots, gusts up to 25.

Short walks less than 1 Km from King Sejong Base.

• Mammals:
  • Weddell seal (Leptonychotes weddellii), sleeping on rocky shore near helipad, 3m from wave line
  • Birds:
    • Subantarctic “Brown” Skua (Catharacta antarctica lonnbergi) on snow and ice, bathing in meltwater, on the point near Korean Base; and in flight..
    • South Polar Skua (Catharacta maccormicki) in flight.
  • Antarctic tern ( Sterna vittata), in flight.
  • Arctic Tern (Sterna paradisaea) in flight.
  • Antarctic Shag (Phalacrocorazx (atriceps) bransfieldensis), resting on big rock at wave line, on the point near Korean Base.
  • Chinstrap penguins ( Pygoscelis antarctica), in the water near shoreline or on the nearby beach.
  • Gentoo penguins ( Pygoscelis papus), in the water near shoreline, or on the nearby beach.

06DEC05

Embark on R/V Yuzhmorgeogoliya into Bransfield Strait; good visibility; swell 2; Bft 0-1; cc 3

• Mammals: None
• Birds:
  • Ship continuously followed/surrounded by mixed flocks flying on updrafts from ship: Cape petrels (Daption capense) predominant; southern fulmars (Fulmarus glacialoides)only occasionally; a few Wilson’s storm petrels (Oceanites oceanicus); Antracric Terns (Sterna vittata); Brown Skua (Catharacta antarctica lonnberg)i and South Polar Skua (Catharacta maccormicki) flying at high eleveations and not part of mixed flocks ; porpoising penguins, species undetermined.

07DEC05

Bransfield Strait: +2C(34F), good visibility; swell 2; Bft 0-1; Winds: Variable between 0-10 kts; Cc= 3

Deployments: Buoy/Phone 4 GMT 01:02:31 62*32.0205’S 57*59.8538’W Depth: 1786

Buoy/Phone 1 GMT 12:52:25 62*55.0527’S 60*12.1285’W Depth: 1046

Buoy/Phone 2 GMT 23:19:33 62*51.2460’S 58*54.1424’W Depth: 1236

Buoy/Phone 3 GMT 01:02:31 62*18.0462’S 57*54.1823’W Depth: 1564

• Cetaceans: None
• Birds:
  • Ship continuously followed/surrounded by mixed flocks flying on updrafts from ship: Cape petrels predominant; southern fulmars on occasion; Wilson’s storm petrels; Wandering Albatross (Diomedea (exulans) spp.) seen only once later in the day as we approached the end of Bransfield Strait and passed into Drake Passage. Penguins (spp) seen porpoising through water, all throughout the day. Adleie Penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae )observed on one ice berg.

08DEC05

Bransfield Strait Lat 60*14.9991’S Long 57*6.1037’W; Bft 1; swell 5; good visibility: cc 3-4

Deployments Buoy/Phone 5 GMT 11:53:28 62*18.0462’S 57*54.1823’W Depth: 1952

Buoy/Phone 6** GMT 17:05 ? ? Depth: ?

• Cetaceans: : in close environs of phone 6 (high frequency) deployment
  • 13:45 3 Minke whales, possibly dwarf, moving very fast at the surface with abrupt course changes; appeared to be lunge feeding. Thought they were proposing pinnipeds at first. Observed about ½ hour before deployment, first ‘tell’ was fluke prints 10m from port bow; sighted bodies after they had passed to the stern, about 20m aft.
  • 20:15 2 Humpback whales observed by dinner party in Ward room. No direction information.
• Birds:
  • Ship continuously followed/surrounded by mixed flocks flying on updrafts from ship: Cape petrels predominant; Giant Southern Petrels; southern fulmars on occasion; Wilson’s storm petrels; Wandering Albatross seen only once, and later in the day as we approached the end of Bransfield and passed into Drake Passage.

09DEC05

Drake Passage Lat 60*30.1419’S Long 61*00.1245’W; crossing back into Bransfield Strait in evening. AM conditions: Bft1; swell 5; cc 3; good visibility; Conditions decline rapidly at 16:45 to Bft. 4-5, swell 5-7; cc 100% w/ snow flurries.

Deployments: Buoy/Phone 7 GMT 15:14:25 60*30.1258’S 61*00.4295 Depth: 3731

• Cetaceans: in close environs of Hydrophone 7 deployment.
  • 09:28 2 Humpback whales, traveling NE. First sighted blows about ½ mile off and ahead of port bow, then ship and whales travel vectors converged and they passed within 5 meters of the ship, off the port bow, then behind the ship within 5 meters, and aft to the starboard side.
  • 11:03 3 Unidentified Roquals approx. 1 Km ahead of starboard bow. Poor blows, but definite bow wake evident at rostrum with falcate, small dorsals appearing almost simultaneously. Fast moving, heading N (in relation to ship).
  • 13:49 3 Humpbacks, traveling E off the port bow, blows first seen about 1 km from ship. They converged with ship within minutes. Social type activity: fluke waving and partial pec. Flaps at surface. Passed to port and aft as ship passed, then crossed over to starboard side, within 2 or 3 meters- very spectacular show for everybody on ship.
  • 16:00 2-3 Humpback blows, very distant (2+ KM?) port bow, no direction of travel possible.
• Birds:
  • Ship continuously followed/surrounded by mixed flocks: cape petrels predominant; Giant Southern Petrels (up to 6); southern fulmars in lesser numbers; Wilson’s storm petrels; here and there (occasionally) Wandering Albatrosses in 2’s or singles.

10DEC05

Bransfield Strait. Conditions poor: Bft. 4-5, swell 5-7; wind 5-25kts. cc 100% w/ snow flurries.

• Cetaceans: none
• Birds: Less numbers than previous days; almost exclusively Cape Petrels.

11DEC05

Bransfield Strait to King George Island. Conditions poor: Bft. 4-5, swell 3-5;wind 10-35 kts cc 100% w/ snow flurries.

• Cetaceans: none
• Birds: Less numbers than previous days; almost exclusively Cape Petrels.