[Leica] Half Moon Island

[jayanand at gmail.com (Jayanand Govindaraj)]

Half Moon Island is a small rocky outcrop in Moon Bay, in the shadow
of Livingston Island in the South Shetlands. It is an important
breeding area for South Polar Skua, Kelp Gull, Petrels and above all,
Chinstrap Penguins. This is the one penguin species where no
imagination is required on why they are so named - one look at them,
and all is clear! (-:

A panorama of part of the area:

http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/Panoramas/antarcticpanos_001/Antarctica_20140117_4982.jpg.html

There is a large Chinstrap Penguin rookery around:

http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/antarctica/Antarctica_20140117_5040.jpg.html

http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/antarctica/Antarctica_20140117_5062.jpg.html

The Chinstraps come very close - they did not seem disturbed by the
humans presence one bit:

http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/antarctica/Antarctica_20140117_5116.jpg.html

They use, like all penguins do, well defined pathways to the open sea
and back to the rookery. You can make out if the penguins are going or
coming based on whether they are dirty with penguin poo, or spotlessly
clean. Positioning oneself on the bends in the path gives the best
photographic opportunity without disturbing their movement:

http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/antarctica/Antarctica_20140117_5156.jpg.html

http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/antarctica/Antarctica_20140117_5203.jpg.html


One penguin, however, decided to hop down a slope full of rocks as a
short cut, and finally reached its objective:

http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/antarctica/Antarctica_20140117_5210.jpg.html

An abandoned whaling boat is also there on the south side of the island:

http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/antarctica/Antarctica_20140117_5245.jpg.html

Please see LARGE

Comments and criticism, as ever, welcome.

Cheers
Jayanand