Is There only Penguins in Antarctica? - Los Angeles Travel Photographer

As I've mentioned in this Instagram post, "there's no time for down time" on this Antarctica trip.  Sometimes, it means having to finish dinner quickly, in spite of yummy food and interesting conversation, to meet the school of humpback whales.  

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At first, it seemed that we were the ones approaching these whales, which newly arrived from their wintering grounds off the west coast of South and Central America.  Their skin glitter under the setting sun while we witnessed them porpoise ahead of us.  Soon, we realized that they were the ones in control, especially the three that could be circling the ship in one minute and playing hide-and-seek the next.  Our eyes looked hard into the ocean as if our vision could peel through the cold and dark surface.  Just as we thought we got a hang of knowing where they show up next, a very showy one decided to raise its "hand" to say hi, only then to flap hard into the water.  And he'd do it again and again, as we exclaimed in awe.   What a flirt! :-)

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Now, the parting question I have for you is, based on this graph, are these the same whales that we have seen in the Pacific ocean off of California lately?  And why?  

I Transformed this Wild Beauty at Falkland Islands - Los Angeles Transformational Beauty Photographer

The Falkland Islands are known to have one of the largest populations of Southern rockhopper penguins.  I've long looked forward to meeting such unique "people in tuxedos".  Although the rockhopper penguin is one of the world’s most numerous penguin populations, it is estimated that the population has decreased almost 90% since the early 20th century.  At the census conducted by Falklands Conservation, the total Falkland Islands population was estimated to be 320,000 breeding pairs  in 2010 vs. an estimate of 1.5 million breeding pairs in 1933.   

When we arrived on New Island, the most westerly inhabited of the Falklands archipelago, we were in such treat to meet a colony that's in nesting season.  Many were busy foraging, nesting and/or incubating their first of the two eggs.  So, this is the state in which I met them:  

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Wouldn't you agree that one tends not to be the most elegant when busy?  So, I thought I'd do a representation of this species in the "Transformational Beauty" kind of manner:

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Do you think that I've done a fine job of transforming this cutie-ful into a beautiful?

No Animal was Harmed in this Shooting - Los Angeles Travel Photographer

Having lost (almost) our last tie to modern development, we set sail for Falkland Islands.  While many of us set our eyes on the anticipated encounters with various types of penguins on this trip, I got to meet pintado petrels and giant petrels for the first time.  Being the opportunistic feeders, giant petrels, when at sea, often follow fishing fleets in the hope of picking up offal.  With a wingspan of up to nearly 7 feet (83 inches), their glide on the surface of ocean, in gusty wind, seemed effortless.

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While being busy following the ever-swift movements of the birds and, at times, being mesmerized in the almost dance-like creation of the ocean, I found myself somehow caught (or rather, involved) in a "serial" shooting.  What a busy day that was!  

And, I felt that I have to put the disclaimer out there: with three "shooters" that you see, nobody was harmed - not a wild life, nor a person.

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