The thing I loved about St. Andrews Bay, was the variety of terrain we got to walk around on, that covered a wide expanse of the bay. You could either stay down near the shoreline, wandering the almost 3 mile long stretch of the beach, or head up into the hilly terrain, where a lot of the King Penguins reside. Their massive colony, the largest on the island at nearly 500,000, was further up from the beach, and to get there, you had to hike up these hills for a good twenty minutes. All along the way, you would find these solo Kings, just chilling, standing all by their lonesome, as if they were lost or just needed some alone me-time, away from the colony. If I were a penguin here, I would probably do the same, for when you were standing on the hill overlooking the colony, the noise was almost deafening. St. Andrews Bay, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands GPS Coordinates: 54°26'16.601" S 36°11'22.205" W
Just like I have mentioned before, Gold Harbour was one of my favorite landings in South Georgia. The Kings here were especially curious and bold and would waddle not more than a few feet or less to you, inspecting you like some detective on a murder case, moving its head from one side to the other. And their eyes were so expressive and emotive. They would sit for many minutes at a time, staring at you all beady eyed. I so wish I knew penguin talk, like the Dog Whisperer but for penguins. “Hey buddy, what’s up? How’s it going? Catch any good fish today? Water chilly?" At that moment, I came to the realization that if I could redo my career path from experiencing and knowing what I know now then, I would in a heartbeat have taken a path that involves something with these magnificent mammals. I am just lucky enough to have experienced this firsthand, all thanks to my passion for photography. Gold Harbour, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands GPS Coordinates: 54°37'3.479" S 35°56'31.313" W
King Penguins breed under some of the harshest conditions and due to their unusually long breeding cycle of 14-16 months in this part of the world, really only get to reproduce twice every 2-3 years. Mating usually starts so chicks are born during the harshest months. This allows mature penguins who leave their parents, to do so in the summer when food is plentiful, allowing for their best chance at survival alone. Visiting in November, we were hitting the tail end of the breeding cycle, that spans from September, with couples who were unsuccessful last cycle starting even earlier. When the egg is laid, both couples take turns incubating it, balancing it on their feet and covering it with a warm layer of feathered skin called a brood pouch, while the other goes out to sea to hunt for fish. About two months later, the chick will hatch and spend another 30-40 days under this pouch for protection. After that period, the chicks are large enough to protect themselves and start curiously exploring their world. Then in light of all that, factor in their baby might not even survive and make it into childhood during that time. Life in South Georgia is so very fragile and so very precious. Gold Harbour, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands GPS Coordinates: 54°37'3.437" S 35°56'31.692" W
