Wildlife
Snowy Sheathbill
The snowy sheathbill is the only land bird native to the Antarctic continent, and one of just two sheathbill species in the world. Look down, not up: it spends its time walking the shoreline and rocks rather than flying.
Most polar birds you'll photograph are on the wing or riding the swell, which is part of why the snowy sheathbill stands out. It is usually found on the ground, shuffling around landing sites rather than soaring overhead, and it holds the distinction of being the only land bird native to the Antarctic continent itself — a fact worth remembering when you're stepping off the zodiac and one walks past your boots.
On our itineraries it turns up wherever there is solid ground to walk on: along the Antarctic Peninsula, around the South Shetland Islands, and on the beaches of South Georgia, usually in the company of penguin colonies during the austral summer sailing season. It is one of only two sheathbill species in existence, so what looks like an unremarkable white bird underfoot is, in fact, a fairly exclusive sighting.
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More highlights
Activity
Mountaineering & ski touring
Mountaineering and ski touring take small groups off the ship onto Antarctic slopes and ridgelines, roped up or on skins, away from the usual landing sites. It trades the zodiac cruise for a slower, physical read of the same white terrain.
Activity
Camping
Camping on the Antarctic continent means sleeping in a bivy bag directly on the snow, under a sky that rarely goes fully dark in summer. It runs on select nights when conditions allow, with places limited by each ship's shore permit.
Wildlife
Gentoo Penguin
A stocky, orange-billed penguin of the genus Pygoscelis, closest kin to the Adélie and Chinstrap. Its loud, trumpeting call, delivered with head thrown back, carries across the shoreline colonies where expedition landings are made.