Hello & Happy February from Cape Shirreff!
January was a busy month &
literally flew by. Things are really slowing down now. We had a week of
phenomenal weather - calm, sunny & warm. We got a lot of work done & it
was excellent weather for hiking, taking pictures & video of wildlife. I've
been spending some late nights out at the colonies trying to retrieve expensive
instruments from the backs of commuting penguins. They are at the stage
where they are spending most of the day foraging & just enough time at the
nest to feed their chicks. I found the 8 time-depth recorders ($1000/each)
& also took off 8 of the 10 satellite transmitters ($2000/each). Right now
I'm hanging out by the penguin colonies taking occasional strolls out to the
nests in hopes that the remaining $4000 will waddle up from the sea. It's
possible that one or more of those birds had become a very expensive meal
for a leopard seal. We haven't heard an update on where they were last
recorded transmitting. Hopefully they will return home tonight. The
exciting news of the week was that we finally have whales off the cape! This week
there have been humpback and minke whales feeding a few hundred meters
off-shore almost every day. I also got to see my first pod of killer
whales. They are amazing. A group of 7 including a male with an enormous dorsal
fin were pursuing some humpback whales. We were hoping to observe a kill, but
the killer whales moved on after an hour or so. The Chileans have a small
zodiac which they took out to get closer to the whales on a calm day. It
looked like fun. When it's calm these waters seem ideal for boating &
exploring. A couple of days ago three of our island residents were picked up by
the Yuzhmo, our ship, to go on a week long survey of fur seals in the
South Shetland islands. It will be interesting to hear what they find. The last
survey was conducted several years ago. Cape Shirreff is purported to have
the highest concentration of fur seals making a comeback from near
extinction in the sealing days of the early 1900s. It's nice to have the
camp back to 4 people even if it is just for a week. Sadly it will mean
fewer people at my birthday party in a couple of days. We'll have the
Chileans over in celebration.
Our penguin reproductive study officially ends today. We now shift
gears to censuring & banding chicks, then wait for the chicks to fledge,
hopping into the sea and leaving us until next year. For the time being
though, our days will be devoted to entering data & searching for banded
known-age penguins on the beaches & in the colonies. Many of the
nonbreeding birds are currently at sea bulking up for the molt. They will sit in a
sheltered place for 3 weeks & lose all of their feathers while the new
feathers grow in. It is a very painful & vulnerable time for the penguins
as their flippers (normally lethal weapons) are tender & blood engorged & the
birds are no longer waterproof, so they can't fight or escape to sea. They
just sit & wait, fasting uncomfortably for 3 weeks. We call it "facing the
wall". Poor guys. They are very skittish, so it is hard to work around
them. Meanwhile, the successful breeders are going full bore back & forth from
the sea to their nests to feed the bottomless pits that are their chicks.
We've collected some stomach samples of >1 kg of krill which is a lot for a 5 kg
bird! The colonies are turning chaotic with no responsible adults around
and the muddy chicks huddled together in their crèches. Young male penguins
looking for future nest sites & stealing the newly abandoned rocks wreak
havoc on the little chicks, alternately beating them up & trying to mount
them. Fluffy chick down is flying everywhere as the chicks molt into their
adult plumage. It's definitely a time of transition at the cape. Seal pups
are also molting into their new sleek gray coats. The pups are now getting
bold enough to play on our deck & chase each other around camp. They are
always great fun to watch. I hope all is well where you are & life is
bustling all around you. The penguins & seals send their regards.
Have a
great week.
Love, Iris
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