Luxe Beat Magazine MARCH 2015 | Page 66

On land, the penguins have no real predators. In the water, however, they can become fair game for seals, sea lions and whales. There are also certain birds, such as the skua, that will snatch the penguins’ eggs if they are exposed. We witnessed this on a few occasions and you had to admire these birds for their prowess and quick action. Along with the skua there are other bird species that inhabit Antarctica, including blue-eyed shags, Antarctic terns, kelp gulls, storm petrels, albatrosses, cormorants, snowy sheathbills and an assortment of geese and ducks. Only two of the landings we made had buildings of any sort on them. At Hope Bay, there’s the Argentinean Research Station, and at Port Lockroy, there’s an extraordinary historical museum inside the old British Antarctic Survey hut. One room within th a i ity i a o a o t o an gift shop where you can purchase stamps, postcards and souvenirs. Mail sent from Port Lockroy can take from three weeks to three months to reach it na tination 66