This week at Macquarie Island: 7 December 2018

Macquarie Island is brimming with many wonderful wildlife species, but monitoring shows that three of the four resident penguin species have been declining in recent years.

One of the possible contributors to declining populations is disease. In order to better understand the health status of the resident penguin and albatross populations on Macquarie Island, Parks and Wildlife rangers are undertaking disease screening this summer as part of their summer wildlife monitoring program.

With the gratefully received assistance of many Macca expeditioners, Parks rangers have been busy capturing and sampling individuals from gentoo, rockhopper and king penguin populations. Blood samples, swabs and parasite samples have been taken and stored, ready for analysis at the end of the season.

Sampling declining and threatened species will improve our understanding of the health status of resident wildlife populations, and contribute to overall Parks and Wildlife management of Macquarie Island’s many unique wildlife species.

As it approaches the time when the ellie seal weaners leave the beaches where they were born and disappear into the Southern Ocean, visits from the local Orca pod (killer whales) to Buckles Bay on the east coast of Macquarie Island have become an almost daily occurrence.

It is of course ‘easy pickings’ for the Orcas. The ellie seals have no idea of the danger and the Orcas are assured of a generous rich feed to strengthen their increasing numbers.

We have noted up to 12 or more individuals travelling together — many very small calves and juveniles with females. There is only one large male though, and he’s usually the one who makes the kill. Although much of the action is below the surface of the water it would appear he eats his share then gives the remainder to the rest of the pod.