The emperor penguin chicks at Auster Rookery started hatching in mid July, and on a visit last weekend three expeditioners were lucky to get their first glimpses of the newly hatched chicks.
The female birds there now certainly look fatter, sleaker and cleaner than the incubating males on previous visits, and are noticeably more curious and keen to approach human visitors than the incubating males. They are pretty shy about exposing their chicks (not surprising at -30C!) but we got a few photos.
 Two chicks
Photo: Geoff Bell |
|  Newly hatched chicks at Auster, late July
Photo: Geoff Bell |
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 Emperor penguins at Auster
Photo: Ivor Harris |
|  Emperor penguins at Auster
Photo: Ivor Harris |
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We also saw some nice icebergs and a jade berg en route, and a perfect naturally formed ice penguin's head!
 Some nice ice bergs en route to Auster rookery: berg column
Photo: Ivor Harris |
|  Jade berg
Photo: Ivor Harris |
|  Striped berg
Photo: Ivor Harris |
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 Macey Island hut near Auster rookery at dawn
Photo: Ivor Harris |
|  Geoff and Ivor ponder the formation of this penguin's head in ice
Photo: Renae Baker |
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On station, people are of course continuing with busy winter works programs and completing stock takes and re-order lists. Our V1 resupply date seems to be looming pretty large now!
Carpenter Brett has been renovating several of the Red Shed bathrooms and the rooms finished so far look great. Our resident fitness guru, Tony, has instituted a station "Get Fit for the Ship" program and most have been motivated to huff/puff/pump/sweat daily! The current station quest is: Can we accumulate enough total kilometres on the machines to get to Davis by this weekend?
 Supervising comms tech Geoff and Bureau of Met tech Colin at work this week
Photo: Ivor Harris |
|  Carpenter Brett renovatring Red Shed bathrooms
Photo: Ivor Harris |
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Regards from all at Mawson.
