Photographing Penguins in Antarctica

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Thursday, 8 January 2026 - A zodiac tour of Hercules Bay, featuring glacial waterfall and observation of Gentoo and Macaroni penguins, fur seals, and elephant seals. The ship then continued to Grytviken, the historic whaling station of South Georgia, where visits included the museum, Shackletons grave, remnants of the whaling era, and encounters with king penguins, fur seals, and endemic bird species.

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Beautiful South Georgia as we pull into Hercules Bay. There is a pretty glacial waterfall onto the beach.

The bay is small; therefore, we would tour the bay on a zodiac.
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A Gentoo penguin contemplates how to get to the water through a patch of Giant Kelp.

He would go down to the kelp and try a couple of times before walking into the kelp and disappearing into the water.
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A Fur seal tries to see us without turning its head.
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We are being watched!!! A couple of Elephant seals peer at us over some lichen covered rocks.
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Two female Fur seals are having a challenging discussion.
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Our first Macaroni penguin, well second but the others were very far away.

With about 18 million individuals, the macaroni penguin is the most numerous penguin species.
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Fur seals with a backdrop of lichen covered rocks.
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Fur seal lying on the rocks.
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A very young Fur seal and its mother having an argument.
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A female Fur seal.
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Two big Elephant seals roaring at each other while a Gentoo penguin walks by.
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A female Fur seal.
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A glacial stream turns into a waterfall at the water's edge. On this beach are several types of wildlife.
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Two female Fur seals.
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The Macaroni penguins climb steep rocks to nest high above the water.

They were named by British sailors who admired their elegant, long crests. These orange-yellow plumes reminded sailors of the 'macaroni' fashion in eighteenth century Britain, which included hats with large feathers. The line "stuck a feather in his cap and called it macaroni" from the song Yankee Doodle refers to the same fancy style.
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Besides the yellow feathers on their heads the Macaroni penguin has deep red eyes.
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A Macaroni penguin jumps from a height into Giant kelp covered water.
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Wings spread this Macaroni penguin strikes a pose.
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A chubby Macaroni penguin. He must have very strong legs to hop/climb the rocks.
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The crowded beach in Hercules Bay.
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A very young Fur seal.
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A young Fur seal peeks out to watch us travel by.
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The ship then sailed toward the whaling station of Grytviken. We passed beautiful mountains on our journey.
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Grytviken, established in 1904, was formerly a whaling station, it was the largest settlement on South Georgia. The whaling station closed in 1966 when dwindling whale stocks made it financially unviable.

Grytviken no longer has permanent residents but accommodates researchers and British administrative and military personnel. There are a few staff in the summer who manage the museum.
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A young Fur seal eats/plays with Tussac-Grass.
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Grytviken is also a tourist spot as Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton is buried in the small cemetery. On one final Antarctic expedition in 1921 he sailed in the Quest to South Georgia, where he died of a heart attack. He was 47 and had spent so much of his time focused on Antarctica that his wife asked if he could be buried in South Georgia.

We were given a small shot of whisky to commemorate visiting and say a few words.
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A Fur seal mother's flipper rests on her little pup.
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The little Fur seal pups were everywhere and so cute.
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The feathers of a King penguin.
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Odd King penguin out.
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The beached Petrel whaling boat. It is slowly decaying on the beach. Nasty harpoon gun.
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A King penguin heads to church. The guides performed a musical selection in the church for our entertainment.
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A South Georgia pintail. It is endemic to the subantarctic island of South Georgia and nearby South Sandwich Islands. Due to a lack of predators on the island, the bird has lost the ability to fly and is flightless. It was one of the first birds recorded by Captain James Cook when he landed on South Georgia in 1775.
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Abstract made from the equipment left from the whaling station. The government cleaned up Grytviken by removing many of the buildings and leaving some of the heavier machinery.
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A King penguin up close.
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A Fur seal pup. Note the cute ears.
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Keeping an eye on the photographer.
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