This week, one of our plumbers, Neil, shares some of his amazing photographs from around station and out at the Auster emperor penguin colony. Working around a couple of wild weather days, we start to get more tasks done off station as the days lengthen.

Less Yapping More Snapping

Its pretty much all about Auster emperor penguin colony this time around for my turn at icy news.

So same again - more pics and a sneaky time lapse of probably the last time this year of seeing an aurora taken out at Macey Hut.

Neil (Mawson Plumber)

A wide panorama photo with a rocky, snow and ice covered island in the foreground with a hut in the middle of frame and a blue Hägglunds vehicle parked behind it. In the distance are a large number of icebergs frozen into the sea ice.
Above a bust of Sir Douglas Mawson, the Milky Way is visible in the night sky. There are four flag poles behind the bust.
Four emperor penguins are in a line facing the camera on the left of frame. In the distance are a very large number of penguins and behind them are large icebergs frozen into the sea ice.
A very large number of penguins are in the distance on the sea ice gathered together in front of a large ice berg frozen into the ice.
Two adult penguins are head to head above a chick who is standing between them. In the background are a large number of other penguins.
A lose up of a man looking at the camera. He is wearing a furry hat and face mask across his lower face. His eyelashes and hair are frozen and the mask is covered in snow.
In the distance a multicoloured station can be seen on a rocky landscape. Behind it, an ice plateau rises with jagged, rocky, mountain ranges in the far distance.

Aurora over Macey Island

Bright days allow for work, penguins, and seal pups

The temperamental weather of our home here at Mawson continues to challenge the ability of the team to maintain a sense of flexibility in our planning. The weekend provided a beautiful day and the chance to spend more time with the wonderful emperor penguins out at the Auster colony about 50 km to our east. The chicks continue to grow at an astounding rate and are now extremely confident on their own two feet (although we did catch one or two still huddled under their parent). Some are almost to the point of jogging around the colony to catch up with their friends. With the chicks keeping themselves occupied, the adults are also more free to come out to inspect what we are up to. From just one or two that seem to race out to see us as we arrive, there are soon large ‘gangs’ that wander from one of us to the next. Attracted to any movement, and most definitely attracted to anyone that is wearing red (we presume this may be because of the similarity in colour to krill), they quickly surrounded each of us. All we could really do was just sit or lay still until they lost interest and wandered off, but the wonder of being so close to these fantastic creatures easily makes up for a bit of discomfort and cold!

Yet another highlight of the trip out to Auster was the chance to see a newly born Weddell seal pup. Close to Macklin Island, a mother had hauled out from one of the tide cracks and lay exhausted next to her brand-new pup. Not far away, another three seals were gathered, with one also looking very close to giving birth. Unlike the emperor penguin chicks, which must remain warm and dry with their parents above the ice for several months, these seal pups can start swimming from as little as two days old, so any chance to see them is not to be missed.

The wind hit hard on Monday and Tuesday, with wind gusts reaching 180km/h. Strangely, this time around, the wind was not accompanied by any blowing snow, so visibility remained very clear. However, extreme care still needed to be taken as such wind speeds can easily knock us over if we are not holding onto the blizz-lines that connect each building. Once the winds had abated, our Communication Technical Officers, Allan and Andrew, along with our Field Training Officer Dave, took the opportunity to travel out to the local islands and complete the pre-summer maintenance on the automated seabird cameras. These cameras provide vital data on our local populations of Adélie penguins and petrels and need to be in good condition prior to the return of the birds in the next few weeks.

Cat (Mawson SL)

A newly born seal pup is next to its mother. In the background in frozen sea and an iceberg out of focus in the distance
An emperor penguin chick is walking briskly across the ice in front of a number of adults who are laying on the ice. In the background are many more penguins standing together
Two men are working on an automated camera that is mounted on a tripod on a rocky island. In the distance is a large glacier
On the sea ice is parked a bright orange Hägglunds vehicle. In the distance is a rocky island and a large glacier rising above the ice.
A group of penguins is close to the camera. In the background to the right of frame a man is kneeling on the ice taking photos and there is a large iceberg in the distance.
A large group of penguins are near a woman who is kneeling on the ice. In the distance are two large icebergs
Two men are laying on a frozen lake. One appears to be licking the ice. In the background is a rocky island.
A woman is laying on the ice next to a large group of penguins which have surrounded her camera. In the distance is an orange Hägglunds vehicle and icebergs frozen into the sea ice
A penguin is next to a man sitting on the ice. It is looking to the left while the man is facing away looking to the right. A large iceberg is in the background
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