Robin's Adventures

Surrounded by snow capped mountains and glaciers spilling down valleys into the sea, is beautiful Fortuna Bay. The bay, which is three miles long and one mile wide, is teeming with wildlife.

We boarded the zodiac and headed for the rocky beach. We were met by majestic King penguins and playful fur seal pups.

The population of the Antarctic Fur Seal at the various breeding grounds on the South Georgia Island is the densest population of marine animals on earth. There are an estimated 2 to 4 million fur seals living on the island.

The Southern Giant Petrel is an opportunistic feeder that is both a fierce predator and an efficient scavenger. Penguin eggs and chicks often fall prey to these large birds, which can have a wingspan of up to 6 1/2 feet. Young seal pups, if left unattended by their parent, can also fall prey to petrels or other sea birds.

King penguins, which average three feet in height and a weight of 20 to 40 pounds, are the second largest penguins in the world. The King's most obvious distinguishing characteristic is the orange cheek patch and orange markings along the lower jaw and on the top of their chest.

The King penguin has the longest breeding cycle of any penguin, 14 to 16 months. It is interesting to note, however, that King penguins do not build nests. Instead, they hold the egg on top of their feet under a pouch of skin called the brood pouch.

Salisbury Plain is a large coastal plain located between the Grace glacier on one side and the Lucas glacier on the other.

We were met on the beach by an assortment of seals and penguins that watched our arrival with great interest.

The Salisbury Plain serves as a breeding ground for about a quarter of a million King penguins, the second largest King colony on South Georgia Island.