Lisa G Saw • February 26, 2025

Travelling to South Georgia

AT SEA ONCE MORE

With two more days at sea before we would reach South Georgia, there was ample opportunity to look for wildlife along the way and practice photographing flying birds...even the small ones! But, before we could fully focus on that, we had to prepare for reaching South Georgia in terms of biosecurity. All our outdoor clothing, including our boots and rucksacks had to be meticulously cleaned and then checked by a member of staff. South Georgia take their biosecurity very seriously and we would even have someone come aboard our ship in Grytviken to do random checks to make sure we weren't bringing ashore any seeds, dirt or bacteria etc that could potentially be harmful to their nature flora and fauna. All visitors to the island have to go through this process.

With that out of the way, we could get out on deck again and focus on the wildlife around us. We had more whale sightings. Some people were lucky enough to have some close encounters and see tail flukes as the whales dived down, but it was all a matter of timing. You had to be out on deck at just the right time and on the right side of the boat to see it. The birders were almost always out, keeping an eye open for interesting birds flying by, so it wasn't suprising they had the most luck with the whales too. However, I was pleased to see two Humpback Whales together. Their dorsal fin is a lot smaller than other whales.

We continued to see dolphins too. One time, when Bob and I were on the bow of the ship, we could see a small group of Peale's Dolphins swimming towards us. It was as if they intentionally wanted to ride alongside us. The weather was much better for a while and the water so much clearer. It was fabulous to see them just by the hull of the ship, beneath the surface. It was quite a reach over the edge to see them porposing, but I managed just this one semi-okay photo!

The birds were our constant companions on the voyage. Whilst we had some nice light, I was able to take a photo of a Blue Petrel flying past. Its grey feathers and pattern resemble a Prion more than the Petrels we'd being seeing. It was also quite a bit smaller (62-71cm). Unfortunately, the nice light didn't last, so I didn't get many other good photos of birds in flight. There were still plenty of Cape Petrels seen and another new species was added to our list with sightings of the Atlantic Petrels. Here you can see two flying by. Their average wingspan is 104cm.

All of these were new species for me and Bob, and we both enjoyed photographing them, though he stuck with it a bit longer than I did and has some cracking shots, which you can see on his blog. He particularly loves the Northern Fulmars, which he can see locally on the coast of East Sussex. I've also seen them in the Arctic, when I went on my first photographic holiday. Down south, it was the Southern Fulmars we saw. They're slightly bigger than their cousins with a wingspan of about 110-120cm, so these were another of the larger bird species we saw flying around the boat.

Bigger still were the Albatrosses and once again we had some lovely encounters. Although we were still seeing good numbers of Black-browed Albatross, they'd now become a bit passé and were no longer 'new'! Our attention was more focused on the other species we occasionally saw, including the mighty Southern Royal Albatross. At least one came quite a bit closer than previously, so I was really glad to have such better photos.

It's easier to appreciate the white leading edge of their wings in both these photos. Plus, check out that amazing wingspan! It's such an immense bird. Stunning!

We were also treated to a few other lovely sightings. The Light Mantled Sooty Albatross was a lovely dark coloured bird with a small arc of pale feathers just behind the eye. It's one of the smaller sized Albatross with a wingspan of only 2m!!! Yes, I know - not exactly small!!! I think this might have been the only one we saw at sea.

We also saw a handful of Grey-headed Albatross flying by (above) which are marginally bigger with a wingspan of 2.2m. It's another beauty, with its elegant eyes and distinct black bill that has yellow upper and lower ridges and a pink-orange tip. I think this one might have been my favourite of the Albatross species we saw. (You can see another photo at the bottom of this page with its wings outstretched.)

The weather on our journey was very changeable. Sometimes we'd experience a pocket of sunshine and other times the clouds and mist almost enveloped us and we could barely see any distance from the ship. The sea conditions were thankfully okay though, and we were allowed out on deck most of the time. On our last morning at sea it was quite murky looking and very poor light. But, we were treated to sightings of Antarctic Fur Seals sleeping in the water. They were just bobbing at the surface, seemingly holding flipper to tail. As soon as they heard the ship though, unlike the dolphins that swam towards us, they swam and porpoised away.

When we were approaching South Georgia we had our first sightings of Snow Petrels. They literally are all white. They weren't as small as the Prions, but not as large as the Fulmars, with a wingspan of about 75-95cm.

I noticed it was much colder the closer we were to South Georgia, though I don't think the temperature had dropped below freezing. When we started seeing icebergs float past the ship, there was a real sense of where we were. They were large. Larger than our vessel, and that's just considering the portion above water. I've read that 87% of its mass is below water.

Finally, South Georgia came into sight and although its peaks were consumed by the clouds, we could at least see and appreciate the dramatic coast.

At this point Bob and I were at the aft of the ship on the starboard side, admiring the coastline. Then suddenly someone shouted, 'Iceberg!', and we looked behind us. A really large amazing blue iceberg was alongside us, not too far away. It was the most stunningly beautiful iceberg I've ever seen. It's the kind I'd dreamed of laying eyes on and photographing. We rushed to the port side and started snapping away completely in awe. It was mesmerizing. Then, as the back portion glided past us we all saw a small group of Chinstrap Penguins on the top. Amazing! It was our first time seeing this species, so that in itself was special, but to see them on the iceberg was like the icing on the cake! A photographers dream shot!

We all were wondering how on earth they got up there and more importantly, how were they going to get down? I'm not sure I would have wanted to slide head first down the side of the iceberg into the water, even if I were a penguin!

Soon after this, someone said they'd spotted a King Penguin in the water. Suddenly, my eyes were scouring the ocean, trying to catch my first glimpse of yet another penguin species. It didn't take me long before I saw a few, then a few more, and sometimes even groups of them. Magical! The yellow-orange patch behind the head and orange on the bill make them quite distinct from the other species, let along their size - 85-95cm. They are the second largest species of penguin after the Emperor Penguins. As an aside, we wouldn't be seeing the Emperor Penguins on our trip as they breed in a different area of the Antarctic than where we were heading. Although there was always a chance we might see a lone one swimming around the waters nearer the Antarctic Peninsula, we never did.

Porpoising dolphins used to be one of my favourite wildlife spectacles, but now porpoising penguins has taken over.

The excitement was really building up as we sailed closer towards Salisbury Plain. It's home to the second largest King Penguin colony in South Georgia and one of the largest in the world. There are an estimated 60,000 pairs breeding at this site. As we approached land, we saw masses of them on the beach and on the snow covered hills. All the tiny black specks are penguins!

The brown ones are the chicks! They are dependent on the adults for 14 months before they're ready to leave the breeding site and fend for themselves. This means you can always see chicks at breeding sites at any time of year.

We were so close, and yet, we weren't able to land. Sadly, the conditions weren't safe for the Zodiacs to be used - the swell was too high - and we had to abandon the hope of seeing this colony up close. It was really disappointing. We had no idea if there would be another opportunity like it and even if there were, might the conditions prohibit us again? It was a very real possibility. Someone Bob knew who'd been to South Georgia the previous 'summer' season only had one landing on the island, though I believe Bird Flu was the main reason for this. As we were amongst the first people to be visiting the island at the start of the season, we were at least more optimistic that Bird Flu was not an issue for us. But the weather? That remained to be seen!

I was glad we were at least able to enjoy seeing them at a distance before we left the site.

Thankfully, we were distracted for a time, by the attentions of some Snowy Sheathbills that not only landed on the ship, but also on people's heads!

Although we couldn't land at Salisbury Plain, not all hope was lost. There was a chance we might be able to land at Fortuna Bay, just a little further along the coast. It was in a more sheltered position, so the chances were better. It would be lovely to see the King Penguins there, though the size of the colony was tiny in comparison, with a mere 4,000 breeding pairs. But, at that point, I would have been happy with whatever we saw.

I tried to remain optimistic and hopeful, as the ship sailed onwards. It stayed closer to the coast and it was lovely to be able to enjoy the stunning views of the snowy mountains and the glaciers below.

The day was slipping away and we knew we'd have limited time when we reached Fortuna Bay, even if we were able to land. Despite this, I was still very excited about what lay ahead over the next few days. Even if we couldn't land, I knew that going on Zodiac cruises was an option potentially and we'd still get to see lots. In fact, when I reflected on what we'd already seen, I was really happy. We were hopeful of seeing 7 different species of penguin on this trip and we'd already seen 6 of them by this point: Magellanic, Rockhopper, Gentoo, Macaroni, Chinstrap and King Penguins. The final species for us to see would be Adélie Penguins, however, they breed mostly in the Antarctic, so we'd have to wait longer to see them.

Next post in the series: Fortuna Bay

To see a smaller selection of my favourite photos from the holiday, click here.

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Books and Courses

By Lisa G Saw • March 11, 2026

THE FIRST SET OF BOOKS AND COURSES THAT HAVE HELPED ME ON MY JOURNEY I began this blog series, Living My The Best Life Possible , back in 2022 after a series of events, and a couple of chronic injuries, quite literally stopped me in my tracks. Having followed conventional approaches to try and turn things around, but to no avail, I felt compelled to seek out help from alternative approaches. I opened my mind to the possibility they could help me, taking a more holistic approach to my healing. Along my journey, I've done some serious soul searching, dug deep to uncover suppressed and hidden trauma, and held a mirror up to myself, realising there were things I needed to let go of and much I needed to change. It's been uncomfortable at times and emotional, but completely worthwhile, as I've worked through things and persevered. Awareness was key . From that I had the power to change my thought patterns and my view of the world. I know all my relationships are better for it, including the one I have with myself, and I wouldn't be where I am today without what I've learned. I've discovered there are many different ways to heal and I've been amazed by what I've learned. It's been surprising, uplifting and most of all, empowering. Along this journey I've been led from one book to another, then another, and on it goes. Sometimes the books have been recommended to me by family, friends or health practitioners, other times they've merely been mentioned in passing or in another book, and I've felt as though it was something that could help me further my knowledge and understanding. In many ways, they were like signs guiding me along at just the right moment when I needed them. My curiosity to learn more has led to a voracious appetite to read, which I've never experienced before. I love it! I feel like I'm on a fast train to somewhere, but the landscape out of the window isn't a blur as I whizz by, metaphorically speaking, but a glorious view of the world around me, simply seen from a new perspective. There is still much I wish to share in this blog series about my experience, in the hope it helps others and not just myself. But, it will take time to write it all whilst I'm still working. So, in the meantime, I decided to share some of the most significant books that have helped me along the way. It isn't the full list, by any means. For now, I'm only including a brief summary and snapshot of the significance to me, but hopefully this will be interesting and/or useful. Perhaps one of them will grab your attention and be something you might wish to read to help you on your own unique journey. I will continue to add to this list gradually, and new entries will appear at the bottom of the post, so scroll down if you're returning to this post and go directly to where you left off. You can also see a list of all the books that will eventually be mentioned in this blog by clicking on the button below.

February 26

By Lisa G Saw • March 10, 2026

WILDLIFE HIGHLIGHTS Bob and I have visited West Rise Marsh a few times this month to look for Jack Snipe, but sadly without much success. We did see one, we think, on one visit, but it flew off before we set eyes on it. It's much the same with the Common Snipe, which as their name suggests, we see more of, but they're super skittish and fly off well before we're even close to where they're hiding, around the boggy wet marshes. With so many wet, windy and dull days, plus the fact I still have to go to work, I was starting to wonder if my February Highlights would be virtually non existent, so I was content with photographing and observing a Heron, standing in the water. They can stand motionless for ages, and move very slowly, stealth-like through the water to new areas. Unfortunately, I was just moving into a new position, when it actually caught a fish. I missed capturing that moment when its head quickly and unexpectedly darted downwards and snatched its prey from the water. But, you can see the Heron in mid-gulp (first photo).

January 26

By Lisa G Saw • February 7, 2026

WILDLIFE HIGHLIGHTS January can be a difficult month for many people. I don't usually suffer from the January Blues, but I did notice this year I felt a certain flatness. I think it was largely because there were days when Bob and I would go out for a walk and hardly see anything at all. Well, that is, anything out of the ordinary. There's no doubting it - I get a real lift when nature reveals its beauty to me in its many wonderful and surprising ways. But, it's been a good reminder that even the simple things can give great pleasure if we take the time to appreciate them. Sometimes, it's worth looking with more careful eyes and appreciating even the ordinary. The year actually was off to a great start, when the snow fell early on in the month. I love the snow! I'll leap at any opportunity I have to walk in it! Living close to the coast meant we didn't have any on our doorstep, but Ashdown Forest had a good covering and it wasn't too far away to visit. Even the car park looked lovely, with the sun shining through the wintry trees on this gorgeous sunny day. It might have been crisp and cold, but we were dressed for it and of course had some welcome hot drinks after our walk. The highlight of the day, aside from the snow, was having some brief glimpses of a couple of Crossbills at the top of the fir trees, though not as good as we'd had in December .