Good Evening everyone
As most of you know I headed down to Antarctica on the 2nd of Dec with all the news that we would probably not make land due to the Mertz’s Glacier Tongue which had broken off 2 years ago after being hit by a huge iceberg coming out of the Ross Sea. This tongue was at least 90nm long and it drifted to the east side of Commonwealth Bay and grounded it’s self there for a period of 2 years, alas a couple of weeks before our trip it moved to the West side of Commonwealth Bay and grounded it’ self into 2 pieces and has lodged there ever since. The result of this was that the ice that comes out of the Ross Sea banked up behind the Tongue like a dam wall and we encountered the sea ice 220nm off Cape Dennison and we followed a lead into 160 NM but as the sea ice was moving and huge icebergs were trapped and moving as well it was not safe to continue and so we hung around for 4 days before heading back to NZ. Most of you would have been following the news and here is a link to the latest piece about Mawson’s Expedition Centenary http://www.news.com.au/travel/news/mawson-centenary-ceremony-to-go-ahead/sto ry-e6frfq80-1226245218906 I was able to photograph at the 160 NM point Adelie Penguin and Emperor as well as Southern Fulmar, Antarctic and Snow Petrel as well as Arctic Tern. Unfortunately for me I have picked up a nasty little bug on the trip and I am only just recovering from it now and will start to put some photos up on my website soon.
As for my goal of 700 birds photographed in 5 years I have ended up with 703 species and technically that is what I have achieved even though 5 of them were down in Antarctica. It has taken a considerable amount of time, money and effort and I have loved every minute of the journey and my next 50 species will be all the more memorable for me.
I have started off fairly ignorant of the birding community but a lot of people have educated me along the way and I am truly grateful for that, and for those who are armchair birders get out there and take a look around Australia it is a marvellous place and the birds and their habitat are so diverse you would not believe it!
Happy New Year
Geoff Jones
Barraimaging
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