Bad hair day for a Royal Penguin, above

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The ship anchored at Sandy Bay and the rubber boats started ferrying everyone at 1015. In front of us was the sight of a large colony of penguins. 3000 pairs of King Penguins were known to be here plus uncountable numbers of Royal Penguins - this is an endemic breeding bird and Sandy Bay has a significant rookery. I was told that some 810,000-960,000 Royal Penguins were spread between 57 colonies on the island. We had plenty of time ashore. We walked the beach where penguins were everywhere. We had to be careful not to disturb them, particularly at the highway to the breeding area where birds gathered, coming and going en masse. The penguins were as much interested in us though, regularly coming to inspect us within arm's length, pecking inquisitively at a welly-boot. Photo opportunities abounded as these comical birds performed all around us. An aberrant Royal Penguin was found in the throng at the beach. It lacked any black at all; the crown, nape, back and flippers were a milky-coffee colour. It was most odd yet accepted by its kind. I was informed that this particular bird had been around for some years. It can be called amelanistic (without melanin, the dark pigment), or to be precise, it is melanic-schizochroistic, (a big word!), where there is a loss of the eumelanins (the dark browns or blacks) which results in a ‘fawn’ colour. Everyone had to return to the ship for lunch, a calculated decision to stop anyone taking food ashore (which is illegal here). There was a second visit to the beach, after we had eaten, and more than half the passengers returned to experience the penguin metropolis once more. We sauntered past a collection of elephant seals, which were huge animals, half-asleep, but they could move fast if they wanted. We came to a viewpoint where we overlooked the King Penguin colony. Some were strutting around, rocking from side to side as they walked, somewhat ‘Chaplin-like’, this to build on the pair bond, others fed large youngsters whose coats looked more like fur than down or feathers. Today had been a marvellous experience, blessed by the weather, and just as dinner was to be announced the bridge announced over the tannoy that a pod of Orcas - Killer Whales - were in the bay. Only three animals could be seen but more had to be around somewhere as they are always in family groups. These large predators moved close inshore and some of our party, waiting for the last zodiac, were fortunate enough to see them very close from land. 1 December ‘The most wretched place of involuntary and slavish exilium that can possibly be conceived; nothing could warrant any civilised creature living on such a spot’                                                                                  Captain Douglass, describing Macquarie Island, 1822 The ship was at anchor in Lusitania Bay; an immense King Penguin colony completely filled the length of the beach and appeared as a continuous gold and white belt. Yesterday’s numbers were a mere introduction to this magnitude as maybe half a million birds were gathered. This rookery was distinctly larger than those of South Georgia, impressive as they are. The Naiads took us for a short cruise, as landing here was not allowed. The birds were so packed together that it was difficult to even see space between them. It was a remarkable sight. After breakfast there was another briefing, to explain the next landing and further rules for us whilst ashore. The ship repositioned to Buckles Bay, close to the Research Centre. There was the option of a short or long walk. Most of our group went on the short walk led by Georgie, a girl studying seabirds on the island, with myself riding shotgun, acting as ‘sweeper’. This took us past many elephant seals and small groups of Gentoo Penguins. Macquarie Shags, part of the Blue-eyed or Imperial Shag group of Antarctica, were common on the rocks on the western side of the isthmus. Grim reminders of the past were the rusting digestors, used to boil seal blubber and penguins to remove the oil. Slowly we made our way towards the base where the researchers had their workstations and accommodation. The kitchen had prepared tasty scones with jam and cream for us - afternoon tea, which reminded me of the last time I was here…as the same happened then! The journey back to the ship went via a Rockhopper colony, this one quite small. The Rockhopper here was the race filholi, considered by some to be distinct and called Eastern Rockhopper Penguin. ‘This little island is one of the wonder spots of the world’                                                                                    Sir Douglas Mawson, describing Macquarie Island, 1919 A late afternoon buffet lunch was served on board and we set sail once again, next destination Campbell Island. It became misty and murky when leaving Macquarie and the birding was difficult - only a few prions came out of the mist and into view. 2 December All of the day was spent at sea, our course east-northeast. We had a long journey to Campbell Island, which we would reach tomorrow morning. Mid-morning, the Expedition Leader asked if I’d call a birdlog for interested passengers and some twenty-five attended. At the end I tried to answer some questions on the confused taxonomy of the albatrosses and the prions. The weather conditions out on deck were first-rate for seawatching. There was a calm sea and the weather even balmy for this region of the world. Neither hats nor gloves were needed and it was just fleeces rather than coats. The variety of birds was good; many albatross, prions, gadfly petrels and storm-petrels. A new bird for the list was Little Shearwater. Late afternoon there was a briefing about the landing at Campbell Island tomorrow and a recap recalled the highlights of Macquarie.

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