Hello again from the southland.
Our weather has taken a turn for the worse - wet snow & strong winds. This is very unfortunate for the poor little penguin chicks, some of which have died of hypothermia even while tucked under their parents' brood patch. The problem is their little feathers get wet & now they are big enough that they stick out from under the parent & can lose a lot of heat. Meanwhile the skuas are still swooping in & trying to steal penguin chicks to eat. It's a rough life. The fur seal pups on the other hand don't seem to mind the bad weather at all. Their mothers hate bad weather, so they go & feed at sea, but the pups continue to play. Their boldness is increasing every day. There is a gang of 5 seal pups who tried to venture onto our front porch yesterday after dinner - little troublemakers. The penguins don't much care for overly curious seal pups. We're eagerly awaiting the arrival of our supply boat which will bring fresh produce & even more exciting - mail! We also get to send mail out for the first time. Our two new campmates will certainly change the dynamic down here & life will be a bit more crowded, but I hear that they are both lots of fun & good cooks. That's all that matters in my book. Not much else to report from here. I got to epoxy my first two radio transmitters on penguin backs yesterday. We're using the transmitters to gather data on foraging trip length now that the parents are feeding their chicks. On Sunday we begin diet sampling, so I'll be working late hours measuring krill & fish parts. Life down here continues to be wonderful & every day offers something new & exciting. I hope the winter is treating you well, too.

Love, Iris