These "billing" Black-browed Albatross are in the dance. Falkland Islands. This species is listed as Endangered because it is estimated to be declining at a very rapid rate over three generations (65 years) on the basis of current rates of decline at the large breeding colonies in the south-west Atlantic. These declines have been attributed to the impact of incidental mortality in longline and trawl fisheries, similar to the Wandering Albatross which is nearly twice its size. Colonial nesters, these birds forage quite a distance at sea before returning to feed their mates and chicks.

Stepping into the light of a new dawn, these king penguins greeted our arrival as they set out on a fishing trip. The sunlight was brief, and we had all kinds of weather while ashore. St Andrews bay, South Georgia Island.

A light snowfall greeted these two King Penguins back to shore. I marveled the entire time of this trip on both how quickly weather would change, and how clear and aqua colored the water was. Penguin beaks have unusual properties as it turns out: they reflect ultra violet light (UV) in ways which attract mates. (Birgitta Dresp,1 Pierre Jouventin,1 and Keith Langley2)

rockhopper ledge

A rockhopper penguin rests on a rock ledge suspended off a cliff.

A favorable light and blue background! These king penguins were exiting the surf - nice and clean from their time in the water. There are about 400,000 breeding pairs of King Penguins on South Georgia, and the population of these birds has increased about 5% per year over the past 80 years, according to the South Georgia website.

Molt nearly finished, this King Penguin eyes me up. Like all birds, King Penguins molt - and in the Antarctic, the energy requirements are substantial. Adult king penguins annually fast ashore for 1 month for molting. By the end of molt, they have lost 44% of their prefasting body mass. About 18% of new feather synthesis occurs at sea, thus reducing both nutrient requirement and fasting duration. Credit for research, and for further information: "Energy and protein requirements for molt in the king penguin Aptenodytes patagonicus." Cherel Y, Charrassin JB, Challet E.

Wandering Albatross Chick, South Georgia Island (Prion Island). This chick is nearly fledged, and is testing its feathers in the high winds, rain and snow. According to Wikipedia: Procellariiformes (Tube-nosed birds) is an order of seabirds that comprises four families: the albatrosses, petrels and shearwaters, storm petrels, and diving petrels. They are almost exclusively pelagic (feeding in the open ocean).The Wandering Albatross has the largest wingspan of any living bird, typically ranging from 2.51 to 3.5 m (8 ft 3 in to 11 ft 6 in), with a mean span of 3.1 m (10 ft 2 in). The biggest threat to their survival is long-line fishing hooks.

King and emperor penguins (Aptenodytes patagonicus and Aptenodytes forsteri) are the only species of marine birds so far known to reflect ultraviolet (UV) light from their beaks. (NIH National Library of Health and Medicine, Birgitta Dresp,1 Pierre Jouventin,1 and Keith Langley2,*) in an apparent way to enhance attraction of mates. There is a "structural basis arising from microstructures that manipulate light within the reflecting tissue."

Moments of indecision: king penguins weigh the pounding surf against their need to go fish. Motion blur, 1/5 second.

Rockhoppers in love: this pair was being affectionate with each other as the one on the right positioned itself on the egg. Falkland islands.

Rockhopper penguins: a mated pair share nest responsibilities for a single egg.

An 'oakum boy' attempts to prompt this king penguin to regurgitate its next meal.

An elephant seal subadult makes for a great foreground for this king penguin colony, South Georgia Island.

King penguins and Oakum Boys (chicks) congregate an area of glacial runoff, a source of fresh water, South Georgia Island. Oakum is a preparation of tarred fiber used in shipbuilding, for caulking or packing the joints of timbers in wooden vessels, and the color of the material was thus used to describe chick king penguins as "oakum boys." These brown feathers will be molted off in favor of the grey/blue/white/black and orange seen in the adults in the photo.

King Penguin at rest, South Georgia Island. King penguin eyes are well-adapted for both the glaring harshness of snow, and the low-light available for finding prey at great depths while diving for lanternfish and other prey (approximately 1500 feet in depth.)

Maybe because my mother worked with watercolor so much, i keep trying to make digital images into watercolors. This is a 1/4 second exposure of the king penguins as they moved quickly out of the surf line.

King penguins returning from the sea. St Anthony's Bay, South Georgia Island.

King penguins create a perspective of height for the mountain backdrop at Salisbury Plain, South Georgia Island.

Ship, Ice, Colony: King colony, oakum boys, elephant seals fur seals, the Ushuaia, and an iceberg twice the size of the Ushuaia drifting offshore. With all that there is to see in South Georgia Island, it's hard to focus on one or two subjects.

Newly molted, these king penguins huddle against a snow-filled background, South Georgia Island

Expert guide and professional photographer Tom Murphy brings a Zodiac to the ship after checking out a floating iceberg. South Georgia Island

6:05 a.m., these king penguins prepare to go out to sea, and step toward the light.

A gentoo penguin rides a wave as a group comes onshore. Several of his mates can be seen drafting the wave as well. This appears to be an adaptation for avoiding predators, but it also looks like fun! Gentoo penguins are among the fastest swimmers of all birds - reaching up to 20 mph as they porpoise.

It was snowing a half hour before this was taken, and it was snowing a half hour later. The light came out to find a huddled group of photographers perched on a hillside along with the fur seals in the foreground. As the breeding season progresses for the southern fur seal, they become as aggressive as a barking dog chasing a bike with photographers. Tripods became self-defense tools, an ironic moment considering the near-extinction of this wonderful seal.

A young bull elephant seal raises its snout in front of a king penguin colony as light snow and rain fell.

King Penguins have 70 feathers per every square inch. The outer layer of feathers are oiled and waterproof, unlike the feathering of a duck, which reduces the amount of water absorbed that would otherwise increase their weight. The inner three layers are down feathers, very effective insulation. Their eyes are highly adapted to the type of hunting they do at depth to fish for lanternfish. According to Wiley's online library: King Penguins forage at depths where ambient light levels, even during the day, can fall below the equivalent of terrestrial starlight. Under these conditions, the birds must rely upon the detection of light from the photophores of their prey.

King penguins in snow, South Georgia Island. I found myself intrigued by the pattern their outline made in this expanse of snow as it appeared through the telephoto lens.

King penguins constantly prune feathers. Like all birds, they molt - and in the Antarctic, the energy requirements are substantial. Adult king penguins annually fast ashore for 1 month for molting. By the end of molt, they have lost 44% of their prefasting body mass. About 18% of new feather synthesis occurs at sea, thus reducing both nutrient requirement and fasting duration. Credit for research, and for further information: "Energy and protein requirements for molt in the king penguin Aptenodytes patagonicus." Cherel Y, Charrassin JB, Challet E.

Southern fur seal looks into the light in a moment of indecision as to whether or not to pursue me. As the breeding season progresses for the southern fur seal, they become as aggressive with photographers as a barking dog chasing a bike. Tripods became self-defense tools, an ironic moment considering the near-extinction of this wonderful seal.

Contemplating an itch: a southern fur seal scratches its chin with rear flipper. Their abnormally long fabrissa (whiskers) allow for many sensory additions, and are highly sensitive to touch by the end of a tripod in the event of warding off any territorial attack.

Gentoo penguins arrive on shore, usually by porpoising. Here, a penguin is caught mid air before plopping somewhat awkwardly onto the beach.

A gentoo penguin arrives onshore at last light, Falkland Islands

This Imperial Cormorant found an unusual type of nesting material: a long strand of kelp. It glides into a 30 knot wind as it approaches its cliff-side perch for nest construction with its awaiting mate.

Whaling station in rust: A gentoo penguin walks toward me in a heavy rain/snow mixture, in front of an abandoned whale processing factory at Stromness, nearly 100 years in the rust. For me, this image depicts the relics of the past horrific decimation of whales which took place on South Georgia Island, juxtaposed by the gentoo-- one icon of the complex modern challenges for managing climate change, and over-fishing, both of which influence whether these birds will be here 100 years hence. In 1914, Ernest Shackleton and a small crew landed on the unpopulated southern coast of South Georgia at King Haakon Bay after an arduous sea voyage from Elephant Island in the 22-foot lifeboat James Caird. Shackleton along with Tom Crean and Frank Worsley then trekked across South Georgia's mountainous and glaciated interior in an effort to reach help on the populated northern shore of the island. After 36 hours of crossing the interior they arrived at the Stromness. All men were subsequently rescued from Elephant Island. In the decades following its closure, Stromness has been subject to damage from the elements and many of its buildings have been reduced to ruins.

Yet another of my motion blurs, 1/5 of a second still contains a lot of movement with these King Penguins in front of heavy surf.

Like bathwater: a calm beach entry is expertly accomplished for the transit back to ship.

These Macaroni penguins were sleeping through a spring snow shower which was quite wet.

Ice is, after all, what it is all about in the Antarctic. This section of free floating ice was identified by our leader as a recent calve from Antarctica.

There's always someone in a line that is likely to raise a fuss! These King Penguins are existing the surf and following their leader...back to the colony at Right Whale Bay, South Georgia Island.

King lineup. Unafraid, this group of adult king penguins walk directly toward my camera with a short lens, handheld while on my stomach laying in the sand.

Do I stay or do I go? The decision seemed to be tentative for this group of King Penguins to return to the sea to fish.