18th.February, Antarctica, Orne Island – Chinstrap Penguins
We arrived at the Orne Islands by Spigot Peak in the late afternoon to visit a colony of Chinstrap Penguins. We had seen small numbers of these in South Georgia but not in a breeding colony. It was beautiful weather and an idyllic setting. The low position of the sun in the sky and the approaching sunset made everything very photogenic. The penguins were busy feeding their chicks and I saw one taking a stone from another for its ‘nest’. We were able to watch the sunset from the ship after dinner before we continued our journey South through the Errera Channel, across the mouth of Andvord Bay and into Paradise Bay, before it finally grew too dark to see and we could catch a few hours sleep. We were heading for the Lemaire Channel, our most Southerly destination.