11th November 2015. Prion Island, South Georgia.

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(Map of journey . . (3. Prion Island)).

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From Salisbury Plain we sailed to nearby Prion Island on the afternoon of the same day.  Based on the time stamps, the first two images were taken from the ship on the way there.

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The reason we went there was the possibility of photographing wandering albatrosses and indeed, there was a chick on a nest and a few others further away.

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When an adult, this bird may have a wingspan of up to 3.7 metres (12 ft), the largest for any bird.

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This one isn’t flying anywhere yet but in due course it will fly huge distances, soaring on the air currents.

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… but no reason not to try out the wings…

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This on the other hand, is a giant petrel.  Colouration and plumage are very different, and also the nostril case above the beak.

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The others were concentrating on the birds (after all, most of them are specialist wildlife photographers) but I was also transfixed by the distant background.

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The moody shapes in the distance presented a mysterious and changing tableau.

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