After two years of planning, my friend Doug and I embarked on a monthlong trip to visit the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and Antarctica where I got keepers all day. I most wanted to see a leopard seal. And after a great day on South Georgia, we got lucky when our radio squawked that one was sighted just offshore. Our rigid inflatable boat sped off just in time to see the enormous seal hunt down and devour a king penguin. This was my favorite wildlife moment of 2022.
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South Georgia Island lived up to its reputation for amazing wildlife and stunning backdrops. Here at St. Andrews Bay, we found king penguins relaxing along a glacial river.
We booked passage on OceanWide Adventures' 100-passenger Ortelius, a former Russian icebreaker. Here it is moored off the Falkland Islands, a British territory.
Meet the Mags! At Saunders Island in the Malvinas, we hung out on the beach with Magellanic penguins. I love how they kept their personal space like bowling pins, ha. We saw seven species of penguins on the late-December trip to Antarctica — summer in the South Pole.
I spent hours photographing baby fur seal pups in the tussock grass at Fortuna Bay on South Georgia. They were adorable and feisty.
In the Falkland Islands, we visited a colony of black-browed albatross who had a lofty view of the Southern Ocean.
I wasn't prepared for so much color. Turquoise water and Magellanic penguins.
South Georgia is home to more than 125,000 breeding pairs of king penguins. Seeing so many birds in one place was extraordinary.
I got to see the largest bird in the world by wingspan — the wandering albatross. Several wandering and royal albatrosses followed the boat across open water. The following year I would see one of the world's smallest birds, a bee hummingbird called a magenta-throated woodstar.
Eye to eye with a baby elephant seal. Unlike bitey fur seals, elephant seals don't have a mean bone in their body. Are we best friends? Yes, we are.
In the Malvinas, I got to see a baby albatross hatch. The mom and dad have been waiting 70 days to meet their baby.
The Ortelius moors up off South Georgia. I was not prepared for all the color. After a fantastic day of photographing penguins and fur seals, we had a barbecue on the boat deck in this amazing cove.
Minktastic! An American mink raids a tree cavity at Farbach Werner. Finding a mink here, of all places, was crazy. I spent a lot of time at Farbach convalescing after surgery. The wildlife was a bonus!
A ruby-throated hummingbird defends her favorite flowers from interlopers at Ault Park.
A pair of Eastern cottontails play before getting down to bunny business at Fernald.
A rare Kirtland's warbler pays a visit to Sharon Woods. I might never see another.
A woodchuck retrieves insulation to put in his burrow under the backyard shed. He's still there hibernating away the last of the winter. Sweet dreams!
Like little prairie dogs, thirteen-lined ground squirrels live in colonies. I hope Fairfield realizes what a treasure they have.
A striped skunk forages along a road near Miami Whitewater.
A chipmunk forages in the gorge at Sharon Woods. I saw this little guy do something I had never seen before — swim! Too busy to go around, he dog-paddled across the creek.
An Eastern screech owl naps on her sun porch at Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge.
A fox squirrel forages during a snowstorm at Heritage Park. I love photographing wildlife in the snow. And these beautiful squirrels obliged.
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