Laura tells us about the weed ‘wintergrass’ infestation on Macquarie Island and this weeks Macca Gallery has images of wildlife from around the island.

Poa annua (wintergrass) on Macca

Poa annua, or wintergrass is one of only three weeds found on Macquarie Island. It is commonly found in garden beds, lawns and golf courses but on Macquarie Island. Here it inhabits disturbed areas around penguin colonies, elephant seal wallows and tracks, and may displace native species.

This summer, PhD student Laura Williams, with her assistant Luis Pertierra, is studying the ecology and control of Poa annua on Macquarie Island. Experiments focus on determining how long the plant lives for, how big the seed bank is, how long the seeds remain viable for and how various control methods affect the weed as well as the native species. This project will lead to a greater understanding of Poa annua in the sub-Antarctic and help develop control measures for use throughout the region. 

This week Laura and Luis took a trip down-island to check the study sites established last season, collect soil cores and do some vegetation surveys. Along the way they were lucky enough to spot an orca at Green Gorge, taste some tofu chocolate mousse (a field hut delicacy), see the impressive expanse of the king penguin colony at Lusitania Bay and experience the true Macquarie Island climate by being blown over four times in half an hour!

Laura Williams

Several king penguins inspecting the survey method — a grid made up of a orange plastic tube frame with string stretched across the frame at regular intervals. There is also a white tape stretched across the slope. Hurd Point hut can be seen in the distant background
Laura kneeling in behind a square of orange plastic tubing surveying the wintergrass at the Nuggets
A stunning day on North Head. The image is across the top of the north head plateau showing abundant native silver-leaf daisy Pleurophyllum hookeri inter dispersed with cabbage plant
Luis standing amongst the tussock at Luisitania Bay, with the large king penguin colony in the background
A extensive lawn of Poa annua at Sandy Bay, with the slopes of the escarpment and part of a royal penguin colony in the background
Poa annua or winter grass plant in the grey sand. There is a small marker stick in the ground behind the plant
Poa annua growing around a the creek access to a royal penguin colony at the Nuggets. There are around two dozen royal penguins in and around the creek

Macca Gallery

Macca Gallery this week is all about the wildlife of the island.

A Cape petrel in flight. It is beautifully marked in a black and white pattern
A light-mantled sooty albatross sitting on its nest amongst the rocks and tussock, calling with its head stretched upward
Close up of a pair of king penguins near Gadgets Gully. The penguins are facing each other
Macquarie Island cormorant
A large male elephant seal having a stretch and a yawn. Its flipper is outstretched and its mouth is wide open
Giant petrel sits on a tussock mound above its chick which is in a nest. The chick is almost as big as the parent
Skeletal vertebrae of a southern bottle-nose whale at Langdon Bay. It lies on the rocky beach with the escarpment in the background
Young fur seal on West Beach. Its fur is slick as it has just come out of the water
Leucistic royal penguin — ivory coloured penguin. It is light brown in colour and stands out amongst all the normal royals
King on a pedestal. A king penguin balances on top of a short rock on the beach
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