This is the welcoming committee...

that met the reconnaissance staff as we head ashore early at Tyuleniy Island, Russia:

You'll have to imagine the cacophony of screaming belches and roars from the dozens upon dozens of northern fur seals and Steller's sea lions surrounding the Zodiac:

And here's an image of where we made our landing, at several structures that are occasionally occupied by research biologists that study the ~85,000 pinnipeds and ~200,000 birds that inhabit this tiny island:

And one more thing: you can't begin to imagine the overwhelming stinking odor that permeates this place.