Weâve grabbed coffees and homemade cookies from the self-service kitchenette and each pulled up a seat in the shipâs main lounge. A dozen or so birders are outside with binoculars and camera lenses trained at the sky. Other guests are scattered throughout the jacuzzi, gym and spa, and the top deck library.
âWeâve known the Russ family since the early â90s,â Peter tells me. âWeâve watched the boys, Aaron and Nathan, grow up. Weâve seen Rodney and Shirley build a reputation on not just being any old tour operator, but having their hearts in the right place and passing on a legacy of responsible tourism to their two sons.â
I think about this conversation in the days that follow, pondering what responsibilities I might have as a visitor to the Subantarctic islands? Thereâs treading lightly in the fragile environment and respecting wildlife. Complying with biosecurity rules when going ashore is another must do.
Then thereâs the option of taking Aaronâs advice; at the same time following in the footsteps of my grandfather. In that case, Iâd take every chance I could to tell loved ones about the thrill and privilege I felt standing atop a gale-pummeled island, deep in the Southern Ocean, watching a pair of southern royal albatross necking, preening each other and raising their pink beaks to the Subantarctic sky.
**
The writer traveled as a guest on Heritage Expeditionâs 17-day Birding Down Under tour.
