Cape Royds Penguin Colony

The following photograph is this post's Antarctica Up Close picture. The mystery will be revealed and explained at the end of this entry.

Antarctica Up Close

I am going to go out on an iceberg (the polar version of a limb) and say that the penguin is the most common association people make when thinking about Antarctica. People have an affinity to the waddling, tuxedoed bird that is grounded on land, but soars through the water. A short helo (helicopter) flight from McMurdo station is the Cape Royds Adelie penguin colony. These penguins return to the same location year after year to mate, raise their chicks, and molt. During the winter months, they hop onto a passing ice floe heading north and float out into the Southern Ocean. This ride on the current driven berg is a one way ticket. Once the winter wans, the penguins must swim back to their nesting ground.

What I observed about the Adelie penguin while at Cape Royds:

·         They are curious. If you sit quietly, many will walk up to you craning their necks in every direction in order to take a closer look at their oversized visitor.

A penguin is checking me out

·         They are vocal. There is constant noise throughout the colony. The chicks incessantly are chirping to their parents. The adults make a variety of sounds including a guttural bellow and territorial warnings.

·         They are dirty . . .  really dirty. The entire peninsula is covered in a thick layer of guano that has accumulated over the years. The brown color is the initial give away as Cape Royds bedrock is actually black basalt. The second clue to the composition of the crust coating the rocks is the rank odor that wafts towards anyone in the vicinity. This aged layer of penguin poo (as well as fresh additions) coat the bellies of penguins that have been on the nest for a while and cake to the chicks’ downy fluff.

·         They are social. The colony has resided at Cape Royds for over 10,000 years. (They have been able to carbon date the guano). Penguins are very devoted to their colony and rarely change colonies. As a colony, birds work together to rear their young. While competition and squabbles still occur, they depend on one another for survival in this relentless environment.

·         They are simultaneously goofy and graceful. One moment they are sitting perched on their nests, heads cocked with a contemplative expression, only to then be chasing one another and stumbling over rocks, chicks, and their own feet.

·         They are entertaining. Sitting in the middle of the colony you are surrounded by expressive penguins moving through the day to support the growth of the young chicks. There is no need for American Idol when surrounded by the colony’s daily variety show.

Adult penguin feeding a fat chick.

Cape Royds presents the visitor to an oasis of surprising extremes.  The birds’ behavior oscillate between chaos and calm. Their outward appearances digress from beauty to filth the longer they are on land. Walking over the ridge and out of sight of the colony, the background noise transitions from clamor to tranquility. Throughout the colony, there is evidence of discarded death next to life. It is a brutal location that these nesting Adelie’s inhabit. They are both hearty and fragile as they follow their instincts year after year.

 

Antarctica Up Close Answer

The Antarctica Up Close is of some penguin tracks we came across over a mile away from the colony. You can see where the tail dragged through the sand. Depending on the sea ice, penguins often walk long distances to reach their nests. In this case, the penguin was on a walkabout. Perhaps taking some personal time away from the demands and stresses of daily life back at the colony.

Jean Pennycook was our gracious hostess. For over a decade, she has lived at the point participating in various science projects and reporting on the behaviors and movements of the colony. She has extensive resources and outreach for students and educators including a live penguin cam, monitored study nests, and personalized responses to student questions. Check out her website http://www.penguinscience.com/ .

Jean and her partner Meagan removing a transmitter from a penguin. 

Schools from around the world send Jean personalized flags
to be flown in front of the colony.