Elsehul and Willis Islands, South Georgia
Our expedition in South Georgia nears its finale today. Already this island and the surrounding seas have fully lived up to and surpassed their reputation of being wild, beautiful and full of life. The imposing geology, beaches and rocky shoreline teeming with life, wild tussock slopes and plains wavering in the blasting winds and rugged mountain passes to be trekked over have all painted a rich portrait in our minds. Our last outing here would culminate all these facets into one last chance to immerse ourselves in South Georgia’s rugged beauty and abundant wildlife.
Elsehul, a steep-sided bite on the northern tip of the island once utilized by the sealing trade dating back to the mid-1700s, until nearly every last Antarctic fur seal was harvested from the shores of South Georgia. As early as 1823 when James Weddell plied the shores for seals and found none to harvest it appeared as though this gregarious, feisty and playful animal was lost forever. Fortunately that is not the case and nearly every beach and rocky cut Elsehul now teems with these incredible animals. Thousands of pup-“furries” frolic in the near-shore waters, along the beaches and slumber awaiting their next chance to suckle upon their mothers return from foraging. They have certainly made every landing here in South Georgia more fascinating and special.
While a handful of our party chose to explore the beaches and towering ridges of tussock grass in hopes to get better views of the thousands of nesting albatross here, many in our party opted to set out in our Zodiacs to get a close look at life from the water’s surface. There were colonies of macaroni penguins clinging to the near-vertical walls of scree, coming and going to the ocean down a rock slab gully as if they were simply walking up and down steps.
At one point in the morning a unique opportunity presented itself to us. At least one very young fur seal pup had met its end in the chilly waters and in mere second’s hoards of giant petrels swarmed to the carcass to take advantage of this bounty. A chance to witness the “circle of life” firsthand can be thrilling and difficult but important to realize that everything here has its place and that survival is not ensured to all. Along with the giant petrels, dozens of Wilson’s storm petrels and hundreds of Antarctic prions swept in to feast on the rich fat and blubber left by the actions of the giant petrels.
For those on shore, as well as us on the swelling seas of Elsehul, it was the albatross that stole the show. Over 3000 pairs of three different species of albatross nest in and around Elsehul. Grey-headed albatross make up the bulk of these numbers, as well as black-browed and light-mantled sooty’s. To witness these incredible birds gliding effortlessly on the constant wind, taking flight from their nests and at times awkwardly landing is truly a privilege afforded very few.
By lunchtime we hauled up our anchor and pointed our beloved ship to the northwest bound for the Falkland Islands. But our experience in South Georgia wasn’t over yet. As we neared the intensely rugged Willis Islands, just of the northwestern tip, keen eyes on the bridge spotted a real rarity. The call that two southern tight whales had been spotted went over the ships P.A. With our ship being steadily held in the swelling seas of this notoriously blustery and current-laden patch of water, the decks filled to observe these very rare leviathans that once ruled the seas around the Southern Ocean until the whaling industry wiped them out buy the 1900s. As our naturalist Ian Bullock so eloquently explained to us at evening re-cap, it’s reassuring to see the beaches of South Georgia crawling with fur seals and the waters once again hosting the southern right whale. So long, South Georgia.
