At Sea Off Argentina
The sea had changed its attitude over the last 12 hours – from tumultuous to tranquil. We left the Port of Montevideo in the early evening last night and traveled on a course almost due south. The first morning light found us off the coast of Argentina but not far off the low-lying land of this part of the country. Under the keel of the ship was only about 100 ft. of water. We were over the Patagonian Shelf, an area of high productivity in the southwestern Atlantic. The day turned out to be a highlight of our at sea days for everyone – even if they were only passively interested in birds. Our progress southward was constantly in company with dozens of seabirds of a variety of species. At recap we learned of the far travelings of these birds from ornithologist Richard White.
Topping the list was the big and magnificent albatross. Black-browed albatross were the most common as they tend to occur in more shallow waters. These birds breed primarily on the Falkland Islands to the south. They are the masters of the world’s oceans, traveling for years from where they were hatched before ever coming back to land to breed for the first time. But they were not the only far traveling birds. As we cruised along making good speed in relatively calm seas, we encountered flocks of a much smaller seabird. Manx shearwaters rested on the surface in groups numbering up to a few 100 individuals. These small black and white ocean wanderers had ventured all the way from the western British Isles. Their strategy in life is to take advantage of the productive waters in the northern Atlantic during its summer and the travel southward to the productive waters of the southern hemisphere during its summer. These were two of about a dozen species of seabirds we enjoyed during this relaxing day at sea. In addition, from Shaun Powell, we also heard about the biology and ecology of pinnipeds or seals, sea lions, and elephant seals that we could see. Touching off the day was a lovely pastel colored sunset.
The sea had changed its attitude over the last 12 hours – from tumultuous to tranquil. We left the Port of Montevideo in the early evening last night and traveled on a course almost due south. The first morning light found us off the coast of Argentina but not far off the low-lying land of this part of the country. Under the keel of the ship was only about 100 ft. of water. We were over the Patagonian Shelf, an area of high productivity in the southwestern Atlantic. The day turned out to be a highlight of our at sea days for everyone – even if they were only passively interested in birds. Our progress southward was constantly in company with dozens of seabirds of a variety of species. At recap we learned of the far travelings of these birds from ornithologist Richard White.
Topping the list was the big and magnificent albatross. Black-browed albatross were the most common as they tend to occur in more shallow waters. These birds breed primarily on the Falkland Islands to the south. They are the masters of the world’s oceans, traveling for years from where they were hatched before ever coming back to land to breed for the first time. But they were not the only far traveling birds. As we cruised along making good speed in relatively calm seas, we encountered flocks of a much smaller seabird. Manx shearwaters rested on the surface in groups numbering up to a few 100 individuals. These small black and white ocean wanderers had ventured all the way from the western British Isles. Their strategy in life is to take advantage of the productive waters in the northern Atlantic during its summer and the travel southward to the productive waters of the southern hemisphere during its summer. These were two of about a dozen species of seabirds we enjoyed during this relaxing day at sea. In addition, from Shaun Powell, we also heard about the biology and ecology of pinnipeds or seals, sea lions, and elephant seals that we could see. Touching off the day was a lovely pastel colored sunset.
