Maiviken in winter by amwphotos

Nikon D300

Maiviken (Norwegian for May Bay), on the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia, is the area where I study Antarctic fur seals and Gentoo penguins. During the summer thousands of fur seals come onto the beaches and surround the lake to have their pups. Several hundred gentoos have a colony here just beyond the lake behind a beach called Tortula. During the winter the seals head out to sea to feed, only occasionally coming ashore for a rest if they are good and fat. Evans lake, pictured, freezes over in the winter. It's not very deep, and during the summer it is surrounded by seals, especially pups. We know it as 'puppy lake' because of the hundreds of fur seal pups that grow up in and around it. The river usually remains ice free, and you can see here some fur seals that have come in for a rest.