The locals wonder what we are up to

That feeling of being watched…

As I’m sure has been mentioned many times, there is a lot of wildlife on Macquarie Island and in the sea surrounding us. Animals of many types, big and small, vastly outnumber the humans on Macca. The island is definitely their domain with us just dropping in for a visit.

Most places travelled on the island involve moving through an area where there will be various birds or seals. Sometimes we may stop to watch or observe them, or in the case of the various research programs that are conducted on the island, observing and recording data on a particular species.

I get the impression though that the animals spend just as much time watching us, as we do them. If you have ever wondered what it would feel like to be the ‘unusual’ exhibit in the zoo, then being a human on Macquarie Island should give you an idea. Thousands of inquisitive eyes stare at you and watch your every move, looking at you with wonder, at how strange and weird you look, wondering what kind of habitat you came from (because you clearly don’t belong in these cold, wet windy conditions).

The Macquarie island wildlife is certainly engaging, and sitting peacefully to observe the many different species for a while provides plenty of entertainment. 

I am pretty sure though that we also provide plenty of entertainment for them. They seem to be quite interested in simply watching what we are up too. It could just be possible that I even heard a penguin laugh at an expeditioner falling over!

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