Back by popular demand; Penguins.

OK you've all been asking for penguin pictures, so that is what you'll get.

Palmer Station is know for its great opportunities to see wild life and so far it has met all my expectations in that respect. There are lots of birds (that will be another post) and up until recently we had seen the occasional seal and penguin close to town. However, it is now far enough into the season that penguins are here in great numbers.



Just to get an idea of the number of penguins we're talking about.

Surrounding the station are many little islands, some of which are off limits to mere mortals (non-scientists) like myself and some of which are (partly) accessible. We have several Zodiac inflatable boats with an outboard engine that are used by the scientists or us for operational needs, and then there is the "Rec Boat", which is purely for recreational use.  The waters around Palmer have been marked on a map with a "safe boating" zone which is some 2 miles around station and markings on (is)lands indicating their level of forbiddenness. Also on this map it shows where emergency caches and landing sites are.
You need to have done the "Boating 1" course to step into a boat, and "Boating 2" course to be allowed to drive it. When the weather is good (below 20 knots winds and not to much swell) and after approval of the Boating Coordinator you can organize a boating trip. Usually there will be a announcement on the white board with some sign up spots that will fill quickly. The driver of the boat will try to get an idea of which destinations people want to go to and will drop you off or just take you along for the boat ride itself.

My destination of the day was Torgersen Island, which is really nearby, but houses some Adelie penguin colonies and half the island is accessible to mere mortals. The number one rule in dealing with wild life is that "if the animals alter their behavior" you have gone too close. Luckily, penguins have had no reason to learn to be fearful of humans and have seen many scientists come to the island, so getting close did not alter their behavior in the least bit. It was nice to just sit down and look at what they were doing. It is nesting season for them and they are busy finding the best little stones to bring to their mate at the nest site. This one individual I observed kept fetching rocks and then dropping them a couple of feet from his/her mate. I think he was daunted by the idea of having to run the gauntlet; to get to his mate he would have to pass a couple of others who would invariably do a little pecking and squeaking at him.

One of the scientists counting the penguins

A few of them had eggs already.

Skua, waiting to see if it could steal some eggs.

Hard to tell what it is, just seeing the backside.

On the island was also this beautiful Weddell (I think) seal. Just like the penguins, it was not phased at all by our presence.

The other critters that we saw were a couple of Elephant seals. The females are not unpretty, but the males remind you of why they have the name. They have a big nose and humongous torso. They are full of bloody wounds and scars, because they have had to defend their harem from other males.

Lastly, the beauty of the day was in the surroundings themselves. It certainly is not as sunny here as in McMurdo, but when there is some sun peeking in between the clouds it makes for beautiful light. The brash ice has such beautiful geometrical shapes that I am reminded of my dad's collection of fine glass art. If it were up to me this blog would be filled with just these dreamy forms, but I have done my best to make it just a small selection.