Six days around South Georgia Island have flown past. Our final day is spent with a morning landing at Prion Island, to visit the wandering albatross nesting sites, and a planned visit to Elsehul in the afternoon. The weather has changed completely – it is now occasionally snowing softly as we walk up the new boardwalk that has been constructed on Prion Island to protect the habitats of the South Georgia pipits and the albatross. Several juvenile albatross are visible, at various stages of development. The closest nest to the boardwalk has an approximately 10 month old wandering albatross preening its downy feathers, with other individuals scattered amongst the tussock in the hills.
It has been just under 2 years since the last time I visited Elsehul, and the weather conditions are completely different. In December 2008, Elsehul was under a blanket of low cloud and fog, with low light conditions and the shores teeming with fur seals. This afternoon, the weather has cleared and the conditions are bright. The entire sequence of coves is visible, as are the nesting grey-headed and light-mantled sooty albatrosses. A small party of three of us climbs up through early arrival fur seals and view Joke Cove from the ridge. We are at eye level of passing albatrosses, and in particular being able to see light-mantled sooty albatrosses as they glide past on the breeze is an experience that won’t be easily surpassed.
We now have 2 days at sea to return to the West Falkland Islands.
