Fun adventure, well told! I was reminded of that documentary, March of Penguins, that was popular a while back. The documentary was, among other things, beautiful: good music and narration. But the "Making of" feature that came with the DVD showed the reality of the noise and poo. I think the noise impressed me the most!
This sounds like an amazing trip. I think I'd prefer to look from afar if the poo smell was that strong. I learned a lot about penguins and Antarctica here. Thanks Lois!
The penguins were such a sight! I will never look at the tuxedo-clad birds the same way again. I think Paulet Island was more the exception than the rule for eaux-de-penguin because it was a breeding ground.
I didn’t go into a lot of detail about the penguin poo, but it has been used for a lot of research on Antarctica's climate, ecosystems, and weather changes. They have a 2900-year-old record of it right there on my Penguin Poo Island! One scientist even won a Nobel Prize for the research he did on the guano from Penguin Poo Island.
So glad the boots worked out and happy you didn't lose your footing and slip! Great story. I guess if the folks driving the boat were wearing the same boots as you then it must be OK. Penguin Poo Island! Funny! I will look for the changes on the World Atlas!
The turtle-technique is a trick I learned growing up in Canada.
I still would not recommend two pairs of socks and gumboots for footwear in cold weather. However, windchill aside, the temperature was hovering right above freezing, so the gumboot combo was sufficient. We had to walk through a tub of liquid disinfectant before we boarded the ship, and then we had to remove our gumboots immediately.
Fun adventure, well told! I was reminded of that documentary, March of Penguins, that was popular a while back. The documentary was, among other things, beautiful: good music and narration. But the "Making of" feature that came with the DVD showed the reality of the noise and poo. I think the noise impressed me the most!
Cool adventure - guano and all!
This sounds like an amazing trip. I think I'd prefer to look from afar if the poo smell was that strong. I learned a lot about penguins and Antarctica here. Thanks Lois!
The penguins were such a sight! I will never look at the tuxedo-clad birds the same way again. I think Paulet Island was more the exception than the rule for eaux-de-penguin because it was a breeding ground.
I didn’t go into a lot of detail about the penguin poo, but it has been used for a lot of research on Antarctica's climate, ecosystems, and weather changes. They have a 2900-year-old record of it right there on my Penguin Poo Island! One scientist even won a Nobel Prize for the research he did on the guano from Penguin Poo Island.
I don't think I could handle the smell. Or the cold. Or not being on my couch watching all of this on Nature.
All those nature shows don’t mention the smell. Oh the SMELL!! I will never look at a penguin the same way again.
They were sure cute though…
Amazing.......Just to sit in the stillness of it all. You are fortunate to see something like that.
It was an amazing experience. Thank you for reading Expect the Unexpected.
Keep us updated with a few pictures or video. Be grateful. Regards.
So glad the boots worked out and happy you didn't lose your footing and slip! Great story. I guess if the folks driving the boat were wearing the same boots as you then it must be OK. Penguin Poo Island! Funny! I will look for the changes on the World Atlas!
Thanks for sharing your adventures on Penguin Poo Island!
Cheers
The turtle-technique is a trick I learned growing up in Canada.
I still would not recommend two pairs of socks and gumboots for footwear in cold weather. However, windchill aside, the temperature was hovering right above freezing, so the gumboot combo was sufficient. We had to walk through a tub of liquid disinfectant before we boarded the ship, and then we had to remove our gumboots immediately.
It was an experience!
Well, there are other ways… but I like to keep my substack “G” rated.
Don’t ask me for my REAL description… I won’t publish it. :)