This week we’re again in Antarctica where our next landing was Neko Harbour after our morning at Cuverville Island. This was a significant landing for us as it was on the mainland of Antarctica rather than an island. The captain eased the ship in close to the beach and from our spot on the bow we looked down onto the beach littered with Gentoo penguins and a lone Weddell Seal. A very short Zodiac ride had us landed and we then had ample time to explore the Gentoo colony and climb up to a rocky outlook with an amazing view over the harbour where we could see a pair of Humpback Whales hunting amid the porpoising penguins.

The continual interaction between Skuas and penguins at the colonies is fascinating and I could happily spend hours watching them. Skua success at nest raiding is severely compromised if working alone. Working as a pair with one distracting a sitting penguin while the other darts in the steal an egg is far more successful. They then fly of together and share the meal.

The above photo illustrates the importance of consciously paying attention to the background. Brown bird in brown environment can result in poor separation of the subject from the background but isolating it against a pale rock makes it stand out well. A single step to left or right would completely alter the relationship between bird and background.