I spent hours playing Microsoft Dangerous Creatures as a young boy, completely fascinated by the natural world. Now, standing among hundreds of seals & thousands of penguin’s emotions of my childhood came flooding back. How did I, a Boilermaker who works in outback South Australia, end up on a World Heritage Nature Reserve counting seals with a Wildlife Ranger?!
This journey began when our wintering ranger, Dr. Melanie Wells, asked if I’d be interested in participating in the South East Coast Seal Census. I felt honoured to be asked and jumped at the opportunity. The day before the count, we battled through tough conditions, a strong headwind made the walk from Station to Waterfall Bay Hut longer than I’d ever managed before.
The day of the count started overcast, but by the time we passed through the largest King Penguin Colony in Australian territory at Lusitania Bay, the skies cleared to fine conditions. Highlights from the trip included witnessing the return of Rockhopper Penguins to Macquarie Island, visiting Hurd Point Proper where we watched Fur Seals basking on Colobanthus, observing a female elephant seal cow giving birth, and spotting newborn Gentoo penguin chicks.
Towards the end, when the day was almost over, we had reached the Hurd Point SE Bay Herum and took a high vantage point overlooking the female cows. Somehow despite the odds, we both managed to count the same amount, 238. It was in this moment I felt as though I had lived up to what was required when supporting such important science.
This extraordinary experience captured the essence of the island's wildlife. Each moment felt like a privilege, and it was! For that I’d like to take a moment to thank those of you who made it all possible, Bec, Ducky, Amy & of course Dr. Melanie Wells.
Tommy Denton, Boilermaker Welder 77th, Macquarie Island