We are approaching the pointy end of our time here, and as we accelerate towards it at warp speed, the wildlife pace and activity has quietened. In that vein, let us celebrate a quiet achiever of a bird, and some tiny colourful marine life.
One of the under-rated birds of the island, the blue-eyed cormorant, or Macquarie Island shag (Leucocarbo purpurascens), is worthy of attention. Whether flapping earnestly overhead, nesting precariously on rocks on the buffeted western side of the island, or stealing grass from gentoo penguins concurrently nest-building, cormorants are a constant presence year-round with vibrant blue-ringed eyes, a snazzy yellow monobrow* and some peculiar behaviours.
They love to stand on one foot, first stretching out one webbed foot, and then tucking it up in a clenched claw at their side. Presumably they are imagining crushing a mortal enemy with the fist (maybe the skua or the giant petrel), because they look very relaxed after a while in this pose.
While the gentoo penguins daintily carry a few blades of grass to their nests, the cormorants stomp around the tussocks like one of those dinosaurs in Jurassic Park, ripping huge mouthfuls of grass and soil either from a tussock, or directly from a gentoo nest. Beaks stuffed, they turn to the ocean, fix their stare on their craggy, guano-laden rock colony that dubiously emerges amid the Southern Ocean swell, take a big breath (not confirmed ... it’s just the vibe), and throw themselves at it like a dart. They then dip the grass into the ocean on the way out to give it more weight for their precarious nest-building.
Juveniles, if not blown off these precarious rock nests in earlier life, have been observed to sidle into king penguin colonies as though they are trying to sneak into a bar underage. Despite being pecked at by everyone for being different, they carry on casually standing around on either one or two feet, trying to look like they are over 18, vaguely bored with the place, and humble bragging about their diving depths (up to 100m). The penguins are not buying it, but only half-heartedly chase them out at random intervals.
On a more microscopic scale, the rock pools contain a vibrant rainbow of colourful lichen, critters and anemones, in stark contrast to the largely monochrome and green palette of the island. Plans to identify them seem to have evaporated, in line with the vaporisation of time that seems to occur on stations despite the time gains one would expect from having no commuting, cooking or grocery shopping to do. Please enjoy the pretty picture anyway.
The ship will arrive in seven weeks (or tomorrow morning, in the current time-space continuum) bringing with it fresh people, fresh food, and winter proper. The aspiration and call to action now is to carve out something resembling TIME to soak in all the remarkable details of this incomparable island.
Dr Pat, Station Doctor
*A breeding adult has a pair of orange caruncles above the base of the bill in front of the eyes.
