I've traveled to some of the most remote locations across the globe, including the Okavango Delta in Botswana, rainforests in South Vietnam, and the Aleutian Islands off the coast of Alaska, but I’ve never been able to fully escape the presence of man.
For this reason, the allure of Antarctica as one of the last true wilderness frontiers on Earth was overwhelming.
As a biologist visiting the continent, my connection with Antarctica was far deeper than I imagined. While many picture the landscape as barren and lifeless, the reality is that the entire coastline is teeming with birds, seals, whales, fish, and much more.
For me, Antarctica was an escape from the fast pace of the society we live in, a glimpse into a world that thrives devoid of human presence, and an eye-opener to the bleak and unrelenting conditions that life must cope with to survive in one of the harshest environments on the planet.
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A Snowy Sheathbill takes flight amidst a crowd of King Penguins on South Georgia. Snowy Sheathbills make a living by scavenging fish and krill, but will sometimes eat penguin eggs or their down-covered chicks.
After my morning photographing a Gentoo Penguin colony, these curious chicks approached me. Full-grown adults stand at just over two feet tall, so I spent the day on hands and knees capturing images from their perspective.
King Penguins can be very curious and tend to peck at anything that strikes their interest. Sitting down and waiting patiently proved to be rewarding — several Kings approached me and started pecking at my boots, my pants, and even my camera lens!
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