This week at Macquarie Island: 11 July 2014

The fitness and well being of the wintering Macquarie Island crew has really ramped up here on station. After three months we are all settled in and enjoying station life. The crew are really watching what they eat, and along with the support of Benny’s excellent meals and gym guru Graeme Freeman, we all have the opportunity to get into great shape. There are many forms of fitness that people are currently undertaking. This includes hiking the island, regular walks around Gadgets Gully, jogging to the station limits lookout, and cardio exercise via treadmills and exercise bikes. Finally, we have the gym which offers a wide variety of weights to gain strength and “get ripped”.

Meg, Greg, Sean and Keon are all undertaking “Dry July”, this is a fundraising event that challenges you to go booze-free for a month to support adults living with cancer. It helps you get healthy and clear your head while also raising funds for an important cause. Dry July improves the wellbeing of adult cancer patients by providing funds to create better services and environments for them and their families.

Being at 54° south, I think we all would have expected to see much more snowfall at this stage of the expedition. Snowfall on the island throughout the past month has been down, with only five days occurring throughout the month of June and the long term average being ten days of snowfall. Temperatures were also higher than the long term average with maximums around 1°C warmer and minimum temperatures being 1.3°C warmer. Fog for the month of June also occurred twice as many times as the long term average with the warmer moist air.

Rainfall for the six months of 2014 is at 527 mm, with the long term average being 521 mm.

On Saturday evening we were treated to a special Italian spread of food from our chef, Benny Bogusz and station leader, Ivor Harris. The food included tasty oven baked focaccia breads as entrée with delightful dips. The main course included extra family size “posh pizzas”, risotto and homemade pasta. Our station leader, Ivor, must be commended here for his excellent pasta making skills. We were all left wondering if Ivor was a chef in a former life!? The evening finished with a competitive game of Trivial Pursuit, with Google coming out on many occasions, starting debates on the currency of the questions. Fun was had by all.

The middle of winter has passed and the days are noticeably drawing out here on Macquarie Island. This signals the next chapter for the creatures on the island. Although some animals continue to enjoy their winter nap, a short walk around station highlights the changes. Already there are gentoo penguins pairing up and building nests, and the king penguin chicks are large and fluffy. There are noticeably more elephant seals on the beaches and the newly weaned fur seals can be heard barking in the night. August will bring the return of the skuas and the prions and the breeding bull elephant seals, as the fur seal pups leave the island and the northern giant petrels lay their eggs. August is also the best month for spotting the leopard seals. The best wildlife photos for the year are likely still to come!

Dr Meg McKeown

The Special Management Area along the Featherbed Track has opened up for both June and July. Most of the crew members are taking advantage of this beautiful area, taking hikes along it when time permits and field operations are required. The weather has been very favourable throughout June and July. A highlight of this walk is Eagle Cave and the Suspended Rock along the coast.