Category Archives: Travel Photos

Travel photography from around the world.

Wildlife Photos: King Penguins

Arguably the most elegant penguins of all, King Penguins, are found in incredible numbers in South Georgia.

Oddly enough, you don’t really see them on the continent of Antarctica, so most people who take a “quick” or “classic” expedition ship trip to Antarctica won’t see these penguins.

When I did a Falkland Islands, South Georgia and Antarctica trip with Polar Latitudes it was South Georgia that excited me most. I knew what to expect, and I wasn’t disappointed.

From close-up encounters with these colourful penguins, to seeing their colony at Salisbury Plain, numbering more than 100,000 breeding pairs!

King Penguin closeup
A King Penguin closeup at Salisbury Plain, South Georgia

The first good sightings I had of King Penguins was actually on the Falkland Islands. It provided a fun contrast to what was to come on South Georgia

At Saunders Island in the Falklands, it was sandy beach and green field landscapes instead of snow and ice. This gave things an extra pop of colour which was pretty cool, even the non-penguin birds and animals.

Fluffy King Penguin Chicks
Fluffy King Penguin Chicks at Salisbury Plain, South Georgia

As exciting as those first encounters were, it was the noise, smell and sheer scale of things on South Georgia that created one of those travel experiences that words can not adequately capture.

King Penguin colony at Salisbury Plain
King Penguin Colony at Salisbury Plain – more than 200,000 penguins!

Penguins, penguins, penguins…as far as the eye can see. One of the top wildlife experiences for me anywhere in the world. Perhaps even the top wildlife experience I’ve had anywhere.

Colourful King Penguins
Colourful King Penguins at Saunders Island, in the Falklands

On my first trip to Antarctica I was able to get some photos of Chinstrap Penguins, Gentoo Penguins and Adelie Penguins. But that was years ago, in the days of film cameras, so it was more about the memories than the photos for me on that trip.

I’ve since gotten into photography more, and this time around I wasn’t as conservative with my photography. I must have taken well over 10,000 photos on this epic trip, managing to snap a few keepers along the way.

King Penguins on South Georgia
King Penguins exiting the water at Salisbury Plain, South Georgia

Wildlife Photos: Southern Elephant Seals in South Georgia

From cute to creepy, here are some Elephant Seal photos I took while exploring South Georgia (on the way to Antarctica) with the great company, Polar Latitudes.

these pictures are from visiting Salisbury Plain, Fortuna Bay and Stromness, three equally amazing wildlife destinations for anyone who is a fan of crazy landscapes, and impressive wildlife.

Smiling Elephant Seal
Smiling Elephant Seal, Salisbury Plain, Bay of Isles, South Georgia

I probably have about 1000 of the “cute” photos of little Elephant Seal pups, as there were quite a few of them on the beaches we landed on. I’ve seen Elephant Seals before, in California. These are of course a different species. The ones in California are Northern Elephant Seals, and these ones down near Antarctica are Southern Elephant Seals.

Barking Elephant Seal
Barking Elephant Seal, Stromness, South Georgia

For the big males, with their elongated upper lips, they are quite funny looking. But don’t tell them that! They seemed to have a bad temper as I saw many of them fighting and being quite aggressive. Probably just because some of them thought it was still mating season. Take a look at the last picture, would you want to come across that guy on a beach? Nope!

Cute Elephant Seal
Cute Elephant Seal, Fortuna Bay, South Georgia

Definitely some of the coolest seals I’ve come across on my travels. Now if I could just find a way to see a ribbon seal in the wild…

Creepy Elephant Seal
Creepy Elephant Seal, Salisbury Plain, Bay of Isles, South Georgia

Wildlife Photo: California Ground Squirrel

 

On a recent roadtrip in California I stopped to see some elephant seals.

But, I also got a lot of close encounters with some California ground squirrels. Apparently these cheeky little guys are very common along a good portion of the California coast, as well as up towards Oregon and even Washington state now.

Despite numerous “do not feed” signs at the elephant seal viewing area I was at, it seems these little critters are quite familiar with humans, and likely, foodstuffs provided by us.

A little darker brown in colour than some other ground squirrels I have seen in the US, in places like Wyoming, these California ground squirrels are not endangered at all, and to some they are considered pests.

I was actually surprised at how thick their coats of fur seemed to be. I mean, it was really windy there, but it was warm and sunny. You’d think California squirrels would be happier in a more slimming outfit, but I guess not.

 

California Ground Squirrel
California Ground Squirrel

 

California Ground Squirrel
California Ground Squirrel

 

Wildlife Photo: Ecuadorian White-Fronted Capuchin Monkey

 

Monkeys are often mischievous creatures when they’re transplanted into or near to human settlements. You can’t really blame them, we tend to leave food and belongings lying around, and they tend to be curious in nature, so it can result in some human-monkey clashes.

In Puerto Misahualli, Ecuador there is such a troop of monkeys. They are critically endangered Ecuadorian white-faced capuchin monkeys to be precise, although guides and travellers who don’t know better often call them squirrel monkeys. Puerto Misahualli is near Tena, on the edge of the Amazon rainforest. If you venture further into the Amazon you’ll likely encounter other monkeys, including squirrel monkeys.

Anyhow, these 20 or so Ecuadorian capuchin monkeys in Puerto Misahualli mostly hang out in some trees that line a central park and nearby restaurants. Occasionally they’ll run along power lines or roofs of buildings. If you’re not paying attention they may grab some food or small objects form you too, including being bold enough to run into some restaurants to grab food, so keep a watchful eye!

I think this guy was keeping a watchful eye on me too. I suppose these monkeys are now semi-wild. They’re more than free to leave the town, and there are bigger, better trees outside of town to live in – but I guess life is good when tourists stop by and become easy targets for free food. It all started many years ago, decades ago actually, when some wild ones began to come into town to raid houses and shops for food. Eventually the entire troop of monkeys caught on and have been here ever since.

White-fronted Capuchin Monkey
A White-fronted Ecuadorian Capuchin Monkey in Misahualli, Ecuador

Wildlife Photo: Hickory Tussock Moth Caterpillar

 

So I was enjoying a quiet morning while looking out over picturesque Rice Lake in Ontario recently, when I noticed a mostly-white caterpillar inching its way towards my hand. It was pretty darn cute and my first thought was to pick it up and show it around to some friends. But then I noticed some longer spikey black hairs.

For some reason I had second thoughts about petting the little thing, as I know some caterpillars are poisonous, and a white poisonous caterpillar had recently become more common in Ontario.

So, I did what anyone does these days – I took a little video of it and posted it on Instagram. Apparently some people think caterpillars are damn scary. Others think they’re quite cute. And new Instagram buddy the_caterpillar_whisperer confirmed he also thought it was a tussock moth caterpillar, which is mostly harmless but may be a bit stingy.

It was nice to meet you my furry little friend. Caterpillars really are pretty cool creatures. I only ever posted one other caterpillar on Instagram, which was a kinda rough and blurry woolly caterpillar picture. But I think I’ll try to get more photos of them in the future. What do you think, are caterpillars cool or creepy?

Hickory Tussock Moth Caterpillar
A Hickory Tussock Moth Caterpillar in Ontario