Conditions: Misty
Air Temp: 4 deg C
Sea Temp: 0 deg C
Wind: Calm
Sea State: Calm
Visibility: Poor
Barometer: 988mb and steady
Latitude: 69 deg 54 mins South
Longitude: 68 deg 57 mins West
Thursday February 8th, 2001
1200 hrs: The resident leopard seal gave a good performance today as he tried to catch any unwary crabeater seal – we think without success. He was sometimes within a few metres of us as he stalked along the edge of the ice “spy-hopping” with his long neck extended so that he could see over the edge and sight his prey.
Andy captured him on film, leaping onto the ice at the same time as a crabeater. Both animals then went back into the sea, the crabeater just beating the leopard. Then the crabeater jet-propelled itself clear out of the water and onto the ice again to avoid the predator. The leopard seal tried sneaking up on a group of crabeater seals gathered to sleep in the sun some way from the sea. He eased out onto the ice and managed to get very close and grabbed one by the tail but it got away. They all move far faster than the leopard seal when out of the water.
When the crabeaters know there is a leopard seal in the area, they generally stay on the ice hissing and bubbling through their noses, occasionally putting their heads over the edge and underwater to see if the coast is clear. The penguins behave similarly, being very wary whenever the leopard is in the area and staying well back from the edge of the ice most of the time.
Jacqueline and I went for a walk across the ice fields yesterday afternoon, leaving the camera crew filming the seals. We came across a couple of very plump adelie penguins asleep in a hollow on an ice ridge. Apart from one of them keeping an eye on us, they didn’t move. Next we came across an emperor penguin with its very pale yellow throat and glistening white breast feathers. It walked towards us as we approached it. We all stopped and eyed each other.
We sat down and the penguin relaxed completely – staring out to sea. From time to time it would stretch its neck and make itself several centimetres taller.
Ollie then contacted me from the yacht on the VHF radio to say there was another emperor standing just in front of Seamaster – next to the crabeaters that had gathered there for the afternoon.
The leopard seal then turned its attention to this penguin. He snuck along the fringe of the ice – carefully popping his head up every so often to make sure of the emperor’s whereabouts. Then he leapt up onto ice and made for the penguin – which suddenly had a great turn of speed away from the edge, accompanied by much noise. The seal was unsuccessful yet again.
Today, the sea is like a mirror. The visibility was good earlier in the morning but a mist has settled in, obliterating everything…
Sir Peter Blake
"Having vision is not enough. Change comes through realising the vision and turning it into a reality. It is easy to espouse worthy goals, values and policies; the hard part is implementation."
Learn about Sir Peter Blake and his journeys around the globe