Live from the Wind(s) of Antarctica. Dec. 19, 2023.

twangster · December 29, 2023

Round two of the seabird soaring competition started this morning.

A new player has entered the arena.

It has the appearance of a petrel but I can't find a good match online.

Slightly larger than the Cape Petrel.

I'll have to ask later.

twangster · December 29, 2023

More whales spotted in the distance.

Theres from the expedition kayaking team was outside on deck 9 and took some time explain the difference between Fin and Humpback whales.

Fin whales are the second largest behind Blue whales so much larger than humpback.

Fin whales are longer and more slender while humpback are shorter and more broad.

Fin whales don't tend to reveal to their flukes when diving like humpback sometimes do.

Fin whales are more likely observed out in the open ocean like this. As we later approach Elephant Island the sea floor rises towards the land. We should expect to see many more whales and more likely to see Humpback whales closer to Elephant Island.

twangster · December 29, 2023

I decided to eat lunch in a venue that is currently jackets required.

The Grill for lunch.

Wholey iceberg.

Edited December 29, 2023 by twangster

twangster · December 29, 2023

Expedition staff discovered this is a Southern Fulmar.

twangster · December 29, 2023

Enrichment talk covering the types of penguins we are likely to see in Antarctica.

One more biosecurity check of our outer layers because we are changing regions.

Cebsf · December 29, 2023

21 hours ago, twangster said:

At one point the ship slowed and they announced there were both Killer and Fin whales spotted.

By the time I got upstairs they were in the distance, the Orca's well aft of the ship and the Fin off the port side.

These are not the best whale pictures. Maybe someone else got a better photo or two.

I got a pretty good one of the Orcas

twangster · December 29, 2023

Okay I’ve submitted my bids for the SGTH silent auction. There are a few hours left, get those bids in!

heffy2 · December 29, 2023

11 hours ago, twangster said:

The Captain had suggested earlier to expect a slight increase in swell to 4m. It arrived late afternoon or early evening.

After dinner I saw dozens of seabirds playing along the waves and soaring between the peaks and troughs. Collectively as a group they moved along the surface hardly ever flapping their wings. It was quite mesmerizing to watch.

I have found references to Antarctic Petrels and to Cape Petrels.

I think they may be Cape Petrels.

Very striking patterns.

An Antarctic Prion following a petrel. This gives you an idea of the size difference.

It was getting dark and I've pushed the ISO of my camera to have any sort of shutter speed to work with but the results are evident. I'll try again tomorrow in the daylight if they are still out there.

Until tomorrow it's another beautiful night aboard the Silver Wind.

Wow!! Incredible pictures, thanks so much for sharing.

gnome12 · December 29, 2023

7 hours ago, twangster said:

The A7R IV is a high resolution body taking 61 megapixel full frame images.  While I loved my Sony A7 III I've become addicted to the high resolution images of the A7R as this provides the luxury to crop my way to appear to be a better photographer.

I have the Sony 200 - 600mm and the Sigma 60 - 600mm which is a beast of a lens.  It's also the weight of a beast and while I would have loved to bring it along I wanted to travel light and be agile.  Slinging a beast of a lens for hours from a bouncing zodiac would be a workout on my poor arms.  I believe the key to expedition photography is being light and nimble.

The Sony f2.8 70 - 200mm is an impressive fast lens.  Coupled with a teleconverter it moves me into the range of those longer lens I left at home while being nimble and lightweight.  Add in the cropping capability afforded by the high resolution "R" series body and I can produce images that exceed what my 600mm lens on my old non "R" body would have achieved while reducing weight.

The teleconverters charge a hefty light penalty but the 200 - 600mm and 60 - 600mm are not fast lenses to begin with so the teleconverters simply level the playing field of the 70 - 200mm in terms of aperture.

The combination of the A7R IV body and the 70 - 200mm with 2x teleconverter put me at 140 - 400mm in a form factor I can carry around and use for hours without fatigue.  It is also easier to manage the smaller 70 - 200mm lens on a bouncy zodiac.

The 24 - 105 lens is a great general purpose travel lens that I tend to take everywhere just because. At f4 it’s not a fast lens but the noise profile of the Sony bodies allows me to cheat a little with ISO and dealing with it later in post.

The “Blackrapid” camera strap has been one of the best investments I’ve made for carrying a full frame camera around the planet. It takes the weight of the camera from the neck and moves it to a shoulder. It allows you to walk or hike more naturally leaving your hands free for when you need them.

Full frame camera bodes use full frame lenses which are bigger and heavier compared to crop camera bodies. The Blackrapid camera strap has been a game changer for me.

Can I then assume that when you show photos getting closer and closer to the birds or other animals that you are just cropping in on the same photo? I can't imagine that the zoom could work that quickly to get what look like identical shots. (You also seem to be able to get birds in flight; I wonder how many you toss. I think I have managed one single bird in flight picture and even that missed a corner of the wing.)

twangster · December 29, 2023

36 minutes ago, gnome12 said:

Can I then assume that when you show photos getting closer and closer to the birds or other animals that you are just cropping in on the same photo? I can't imagine that the zoom could work that quickly to get what look like identical shots. (You also seem to be able to get birds in flight; I wonder how many you toss. I think I have managed one single bird in flight picture and even that missed a corner of the wing.)

I’ll often set my camera to burst mode taking dozens of pictures pretty quickly. The A7R4 has a good buffer size for this purpose which was attractive when shopping this upgrade. The problem is filling memory cards with the large files that a 61 MP camera generates.

twangster · December 30, 2023

Top side on whale watch this afternoon.

In the distance appeared a mirage that almost looked like land yet I knew there was no land out here.

More small bits of ice were present in this area.

The wind was ferocious but that isn't a mirage.

It's a really big iceberg.

It's A23a.

twangster · December 30, 2023

A23a is a very large iceberg that broke off in 1986. It quickly grounded and stayed in place until 2020 when it floated free and began moving. Over the course of 2023 it has really picked up steam and began making a move North to where we found it, or the Captain and bridge team found it, today.

It's hard to capture the scale of an iceberg this large. It just goes on and on.

Once again the deck 5 bow area was open for our viewing pleasure.

There is little point trying to capture all of it in a photo because you can't unless you are in space which is where scientists are following it using satellites. It's 3,900 square kilometers or 1,500 square miles in size.

Naturally I brought my 360 camera with me.

twangster · December 30, 2023

Our position when we encountered A23a.

Then later as we moved off to continue towards Elephant Island.

twangster · December 30, 2023

Daily briefing for tomorrow at Elephant Island:

The goal or hope is to visit two locations on the island. In the morning Point Wild in the North is where Shackleton left his men to go and find help leading to the now famous story.

In the afternoon somewhere in the South depending on weather.

However visiting Elephant Island is highly weather dependent and we won't know if either is going to happen until we get there.

twangster · December 30, 2023

After dinner I suited up and ventured upstairs to see if there was any marine life out there. It's pretty cold now so looking for wildlife requires dressing up for the occasion.

No sign of anything so I might as well enjoy the view from my suite.

From on board the Silver Wind.

twangster · December 30, 2023

Day Twelve - Elephant Island

Position report:

twangster · December 30, 2023

Day 12 Chronicle:

30 DEC - Point Wild and Elephant Island South Antarctica.pdf

twangster · December 30, 2023

We've arrived to Point Wild and the first zodiac groups are off. I'm waiting for my group to be called.

More to come on our approach and the beautiful scenery here where Shackleton's men spent 135 days waiting rescue.

twangster · December 30, 2023

Super busy day. Just back from our afternoon session and the daily briefing is starting soon. More on today soon.

twangster · December 30, 2023

I woke up to discover land outside my balcony.

As we had been told in the briefing, Elephant Island is not a hospitable environment.

The island is mountainous with steep, sharp rock faces.

A number of glaciers or snowfields filled the valleys in between peaks.

I was fairly certain Point Wild lay straight ahead.

twangster · December 30, 2023

Point Wild is where twenty two men of the Endurance spent four and a half months waiting to be rescued but eventually they were.

Gert, our expedition leader was surveying the scene from the bridge wing one deck down.

A visit to Elephant Island is never a sure thing. Swell is often a cause to cancel operations. Wind and low visibility are common.

It looks like we are a go.

With a late zodiac group today I was able to relax and have a leisurely morning. With a zodiac now in the water you can get an idea of the scale and size of the mountains.