This week we celebrated two birthdays on station and watched the emperor chicks go through a growth spurt at Auster rookery.

Bet you didn’t know…

  1. Where were you born? Victoria.
  2. Why were you called Shane ? Not sure.
  3. What’s your middle name and why? Joseph I don’t know why.
  4. If you had to choose between country and western and folk which would you choose and why? I think folk because I had to make a decision. I like all music but not passionate about either genre.
  5. The first concert you attended? I saw Fleetwood Mac, Santana and Little River Band at Calder Race Way when I was about 18.
  6. If you were a brand what would your motto be? ‘Don’t take things seriously'.
  7. What do you do on holidays? I love to travel and explore.
  8. What would you like to ask ‘God'? ‘Where did you come from?'
  9. If you were another animal what would it be and why? A giraffe because of the great view.
  10. If you had a dinner party and invited three guests who would you invite? Michael Palin, Alan Alder and Tina Fey.
A man with a grey beard sits at a table.
A man wearing sunglasses and a beanie stands in front of a yellow Hägglunds
A man shoots a dart with a dart board image in the background

A growth spurt at Auster rookery

Another lucky team witnessed a growth spurt in the chicks at the Auster rookery this week. On a sunny and relatively warm day (only −13°C!) some of the chicks discovered they could cool down by laying flat on their bellies on the sea ice.

With more cracks appearing in the dynamic sea ice, we will have to make the most of our trips to the rookery over the next month or so, before it all breaks up and melts away.

A creche of Emperor chicks stand around with two adult penguins
An emperor chick lays flat on its belly on the ice.
A creche of chicks stand among adult emperor penguins

Two birthdays, two cakes

This week we celebrated two station birthdays — woo hoo! cake!

We shared a delicious mid week dinner for Mal; and we were treated to a glorious display of rather ill-fitting wigs for Mark’s birthday.

A man in a green shirt and green beanie cuts a cake
Seven men sit around a table, five wearing wigs.

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