Seabirds, marine mammals, & their prey

I am currently studying the at-sea distribution of winter marine predators at South Georgia in the sub-antarctic. Data on where species are feeding, as well as which species forage together, will be compared to data collected 30 years prior to assess the affect of climate climate change on these top predators

On my way to Punta Arenas, Chile, “the gateway to the Antarctic”. These fun planes were adorned with pictures of local species: an orca, a guanaco (a llama-like mammal) and a rhea (a flightless bird, similar looking to, but smaller than, an ostrich). Plane-spotting helped pass the time during my 12-hour layover in Santiago!

Spectacular views as we pulled into South Georgia

Most people who visit South Georgia do so in the summertime…and for good reason! Quite difficult getting around without snow shoes

Passing through Grytviken, stopped by South Georgia’s museum. Hanging from the ceiling is one of the world’s largest birds, the Wandering Albatross—-they can have wingspans up to 12 feet! Below are some of the museum’s other specimens: skins from a King Penguin and fur seal

A relic of South Georgia’s whaling days. With whaling banned and marine protected areas in place, whale and seal populations are in recovery

During the day we conducted surveys of seabirds and marine mammals, at night we surveyed for their prey, which includes krill, small fish, squid, and many other amphipods and gelatinous organisms