An Antarctic Adventure
Nearly one year ago I had the crazy idea to go birding in the Arctic and Antarctic during the same calendar year. How else could I see both Polar Bears and Penguins without visiting a zoo? I jokingly referred to this idea as a “Bears and No Bears Big Year”. At the time, unfortunately this dream was out of reach. I was recently married, teaching full-time, and the financial commitment of touching both ends of the Earth was ludicrous.
Fast forward to earlier this year, when I received word of a Summer Inquiry Grant, a brand-new program offered by my school. The goal of this grant was to inspire teachers to embrace curiosity and wonder, and pursue something they’re passionate about over the summer so they could return to school and share their learning with the students. If I could go anywhere and do anything, what would it be? Birding in Antarctica is at the top of my bucket list, and so I spilled my passion for this place into my application. Come May, I learned I’d been selected as a recipient, and excitedly started to plan my trip!
Due to my schedule as a middle school teacher, I had a short window of opportunity during our winter break, from December 16th to January 2nd. While winter is just beginning in the Northern Hemisphere, it is the start of summer in Antarctica—making it the perfect time to see nesting birds, feeding whales, and territorial seals and sea lions. It made the most sense to go during the Antarctic summer, when wildlife was active, and the white continent was most easily reached. I did some research and found a cruise to the Antarctic Peninsula which would provide everything I was hoping for in a trip- a comfortable and safe ship for crossing the Drake Passage, on-board scientists and polar explorers, and a knowledgable and competent crew and staff.
In October, my wife and I burned some Alaska Airlines miles we’d saved and headed to Utqiaġvik Alaska for an anniversary weekend getaway. Our shared goal was to spend time together traveling and see the northern lights and connect with the Ross’s Gull—a mysterious arctic resident that migrates along the shoreline of the Beaufort Sea reliably during October. Doing so at this time also afforded me the opportunity to travel above 66 degrees of latitude, to the Arctic proper. I’ll publish more about this trip in a separate blog post.
Back to the trip at hand: I don’t know if I’ll have internet connectivity throughout the voyage, but I’ll plan on updating this post as time and wifi allow, with photos and brief highlights from each day. I appreciate those of you who have provided support- whether by recently purchasing copies of Falcon Freeway, original artwork, or donating equipment, funds for kayaking and camping excursions, or offering words of encouragement. It all helps, and is greatly appreciated!
My trip itinerary is below…
Give and Receive! Adopt-a-bird Fundraising Initiative
To help offset my personal expenses on this trip, I’ve put together a fun way for you to get a penguin picture, calendar, or photo book following this trip!
If you’re interested in providing support at any level you can contact me via email at thebirdingproject@gmail.com. I will respond with a PayPal link or Venmo code, cash/check address when I return in January 1. Each donation, no matter how small, comes with perks so you’re getting something in return for your generosity.
Donation Levels
$1-19 Gentoo Penguin Personalized thank-you message, email updates on trip
$20-50 Snowy Sheathbill All Gentoo perks plus high-res digital download from Antarctica Gallery post-trip
$51-99 King Penguin All of the above perks plus limited edition signed and numbered photo print
$100-500 Wandering Albatross All of the above perks plus a soft cover photo book of my best Antarctica trip photos
$500+ Blue Whale All of the above perks plus an hour-long zoom talk* for you or your local bird club covering the unique natural history of Antarctica.
If you’d like to just follow along, I’ll be posting periodic updates on this page and also my social media accounts.
A Magellanic Penguin stretches after emerging from its nesting burrow along Argentina’s Beagle Channel
Christmas in Antarctica Itinerary
Friday December 16th
Travel Day Fly from Mexico City to Buenos Aires, Argentina
Saturday December 17th
Fly from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia
Sunday December 18th
Watch the World Cup (Argentina is in the final)
Go birding around Ushuaia, camp somewhere off the grid
Monday December 19th
Explore Tierra del Fuego National Park, camp off the grid
Tuesday December 20th
Explore Tierra del Fuego, search for King Penguins at colony
Wednesday December 21st
Board ship, set sail in Beagle Channel!
Thursday December 22nd
Day 1 of Drake Passage- participate in citizen science projects
Friday December 23rd
Day 2 of Drake Passage seabirding
Saturday December 24th
Explore volcanic Shetland Islands, look for birds and whales
Sunday December 25th
Explore volcanic Shetland Islands, take zodiac boats to shore landings
Monday December 26th
Explore Shetland Islands / Cruise to Antarctic Peninsula
Tuesday December 27th
Explore Antarctic Peninsula
Wednesday December 28th
Explore Antarctic Peninsula
Thursday December 29th
Cross the legendary Drake Passage
Friday December 30th
Complete return voyage across Drake Passage, Beagle Channel
Saturday December 31st
Disembark in Ushuaia, Return flight to Buenos Aires, then to Mexico City, then to Seattle
Thanks for following this adventure! Be sure to check back for updated blog posts as the ship’s wifi allows.