Near the end of the hike from Fortuna Bay to Stromness , we came upon a small pond where several dozen Gentoo Penguins were hanging out, trying to stay cool in the almost 70°F heat. Several of my fellow passengers were also just hanging out while I (of course!) looked for picture opportunities ... such as taking pictures of Gentoo Penguins ... little did I know that a Skua was about to attack a young adult Gentoo Penguin in a battle to the death. WARNING: The pictures below are gruesome as they depict the reality of nature ... which can be cruel.

This may have been the actual Skua seen below ... looks pretty mild-mannered ... for now!

2:39PM - I was photographing these Gentoo Penguins when the Skua first showed up

The Penguins didn't like the Skua nearby and presented a common front plus made a ton of noise - so he flew away.

At 2:48PM, I took this wide-angle picture and then turned 180° around for some other penguins

The Skua will shortly attack a Penguin on the far side of the pond just past the right side of this picture.

A few minutes later, Paul (in green) whispered "Alek, turn around!" and motioned to what was happening on the far shoreline of the pond ... which quickly got my attention.

2:50PM - Jim Riesert takes this stunning picture during the initial Skua attack