Mikkelson Harbor, Antarctica

There was history as well as lots of penguins when we explored Mikkelson Harbor. This small bay on the south side of Trinity Island was used by Norwegian whaling vessels in the early 20th century. The landscape is still littered with whale bones and the weathered remains of sailing vessels. Gentoo penguins nest here and we saw some fur seals as well.

The Gentoo penguins share this rock with a small weather station.
We learned that Penguins always have the right of way. They waddle along on what our expedition team called “penguin highways” and it was our responsibility to patiently wait from a safe distance as they went by. This was as much to protect the penguins and their way of life as it was to keep us from a penguin collision.
The lovely thick white coats of feathers on the penguins’ chests are often smudged with brown. That is penguin guano. And yes, you can detect a distinct penguin odor when you’re nearby. It’s also fun to see them raise their heads and stretch them up, as the top penguin is doing and let out a horn-like bird call.
This elephant seal is having a lazy morning.
It was a great morning ashore with surprisingly mild weather. The crew treated us to a wonderful surf and turf barbeque on the deck.

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