The Oden, the Polar Sea and the Adélies!

Our team was finally in McMurdo! Work was already in progress. They had been busy throughout their journey and even on their flight down from Christchurch! Things would soon be getting busy for me as we prepare to leave for our field camp. But, after a big lunch at the Galley, I couldn’t go back to my desk. I needed a walk. Being familiar with my routine by now, you wouldn’t be surprised that I walked to Hut Point again. It seemed like the perfect stroll after a meal.

The Oden was working away at the ice right off McMurdo. It had carved a channel all the way to the ice-peer between McMurdo and Hut Point and would be docking there later in the day. I got a good view of the 107 meter long icebreaker that had steadily worked its way to McMurdo through the sea-ice for the past few weeks. It was followed and then joined by the U.S. Coast Guard Polar Sea. It continues to work on widening the channel cut by the Oden making it possible for larger supply ships to arrive at McMurdo later this month.

The Swedish Icebreaker Oden and the U.S. Coast Guard Polar Sea.

As my lucky stars continued to shine past the Antarctic Sun, I once again noticed a large group of Adélie penguins on the ice a little south of Hut Point that was making its way straight towards McMurdo. There were probably about 50 penguins in the group and there were more groups out on the ice big and small, all making their way to Hut Point! Soon it was swarming with penguins. It seemed like the birds were holding a convention! Some of the birds came right up along the shallower slopes of the land and were completely unafraid of the human crowd that was gathering to photograph them. Both groups of bipeds seemed to be curious of each other, but of course only one kind had cameras!

Adélies are the most common and smallest of Antarctic Penguins and were named so in 1830 by French explorer Dumont d’Urville after his wife Adélie. It is also after d’Urville that the French base on the Adélie Coast takes its name. Adélie penguins stand a little over 2 feet tall and feed mainly on krill and fish. There are over 2 million pairs of Adélies all across the Antarctic coast and they gather in huge colonies nesting in November building a nest of rocks and pebbles.

Selections from the Adélie album!

Our team is scheduled to leave for field camp to the Dry Valleys on Thursday, so this will in all probability be my last post until I return from field to add pictures from that trip.

Till then, enjoy the pictures and reading rest of the blog!

For a Few Penguins More!

Returning from our field trip on the 3^rd we learnt about an additional delay in our team’s flight from Christchurch – they wouldn’t be flying until this evening. Also, Jan 5^th brought more stormy weather. Liz and I had initially planned on making another trip early yesterday morning. We reported as usual at Helo Ops and discussed the situation with Gifford and Marko, who would be the pilot for our trip. Marko wasn’t certain that he would be able to land in case of turbulence in the valleys and even if did, whether he would be able to get us later in the day was another uncertainty. We chose to cancel. Wisely so; as in a couple of hours the wind picked up to blowing in gusts over 50 miles per hour and carried the snow from the ice into town. It covered the sea-ice in a fog-like blanket of blowing snow probably few tens of feet tall! From town, I could look over Hut Point and barely see the Oden, which was now just a couple of miles out in the ice.

Jan 5th; the Oden is almost hidden in the blanket of blowing snow off Hut Point ridge.

Jan 6th; a few brave folks venture out in the winds at Hut Point to get a closer look at the Oden.

Today, Jan 6^th, continued to be windy and overcast, although much less than yesterday and the flight arrival from Christchurch was delayed till late in the evening; but it wasn’t canceled! Finally, they were on their way to McMurdo. The Oden had moved in all the way to McMurdo and was moving back and forth keeping it from refreezing.

After lunch, I was headed back to the Crary lab, when I noticed a large number of black dots far out on the ice. I could bet they were penguins and they were moving away from town. I hurried into the lab and went up to the library from where, looking through the spotting scope I saw about twenty Adélie Penguins actually following the trail marked by flags on the ice leading away from town! Then miraculously, I spotted another smaller group of penguins right at the edge of the ice coming ashore just behind the Helo pads!

I couldn’t wait! I grabbed my cameras and rushed out towards the ice, where a few other lucky folks sat relaxing on the ground while six Adélies walked right up to them and started exploring the ground a few feet in front of them. I joined the group and members of both the avian and mammalian groups made observations about the others activities. We watched the birds call out to each other, excavate some stones and groom themselves. The show lasted for almost an hour until finally the done of a returning helicopter sent the penguins scampering off to the ice around Ob Hill, where they found a good spot to settle down for a rest.

It was indeed an incredibly lucky event. I had never imagined getting so close to a penguin that I could almost reach out and touch it!

The Penguin Gallery!




































The Adélie Geologists!