sea ice

there is something beautiful about repeating patterns in nature

peace

a tranquil scene in Antarctica

black and whites

a type A (mammal-eating) killer whale surfacing in coastal waters of Antarctica

abstract whale

a killer whale distorted by the waves as she cruises just beneath the surface

penguin plain

at the start of summer, Adelie penguins have a long walk on the fast-ice to get to their colony onshore

traffic

the skies over Stac Lee, St. Kilda , busy with gannets

puffin squadron

puffins approaching their colony: landing gear down, air brakes on

raining puffins

nowhere else have I seen such incredible densities of puffins as on Mykines, Faroe Islands

riding the gusts

a southern giant petrel hitches a ride on the wind which screams across the Drake Passage

Magellanic penguin

a close-up portrait reveals the minute scaly feathers on this Magellanic penguin

on patrol

a brown skua patrols the skies for unattended gentoo penguin eggs and chicks

petrel pop art

the soft-plumage petrel's monochrome paint job looks great against a white cloudy sky

penguin pop art

chinstrap penguins swimming in formation as they round up Antarctic krill

snow and rays

crepuscular rays illuminate a faint dusting of snow in the sky over the Trinity Peninsula

well fed

this crabeater seal is not going hungry

drifters

these enormous tabular icebergs look like space ships as they emerge from a thick fog

polar bear tracks

footprints mark the journey of a polar bear as it walked across the frozen sea

snow petrel

a ghostly figure, barely visible against the ice

solo penguin

alone time among the snowy hills - a gentoo penguin preens its feathers en route to the sea

white

in early summer before snow melt, a gentoo penguin's world is mostly white

dying iceberg

as it melts, the centre of gravity shifts around causing an iceberg to roll, lifting old waterlines skyward

sorted

drifting brash ice is arranged by the wind, according to size class

false perspective

this is shot from the bow of the ship, looking down. The sorting of ice pieces by the wind gives a false sense of perspective

confetti birds

a flock of cape petrels is mesmerizing to watch, especially in a blizzard