The next Icy News instalment on wildlife developments at Auster Rookery - a follow-on from 14 August.

Auster Rookery Instalment #2

While it’s only been a couple of weeks since Mawson’s last Icy News story on an Auster Rookery visit, it’s time to provide an update as there have been recent wildlife developments… hatchlings!! And heaps of them.

With a couple of forecasted beautiful weather days, alongside our sea ice remaining bullet-proof and a weekend ahead, the decision was made to do a return field trip back to Auster to suss out our feathered friends. We didn’t anticipate just how remarkable this visit would be, until…

As we neared the rookery (after passing a number of sporadic waddling souls along the way), it was evident that the colony had expanded in size. Significantly. Disembarking from our Hagglands vehicles also revealed a new din not experienced on previous visits… chirping. And lots of it.

We were not disappointed, as right from the get-go and from afar, we could see that incubation was pretty much over. There were multiple chicks covered in grey downy feathers, perched on the feet of many parents, begging for attention (or more likely food). If there was ever a need to provide an example of what the word ‘cute’ means, we could surely refer to these fluffy silver-grey balls of down, complete with black heads and white face-masks. Which probably explains why the adults put up with such a cacophony of boisterous noise and relentless demands for acknowledgement. You can get away with a lot while you're still cute!!

And of course, soon after arrival we had the usual reception party make the journey from the rookery perimeter out to us, to investigate what was going on. (We think they may also be plotting to steal a Hagg.)

It was a special moment in time. It won’t be long before these chicks ‘grow up’ into juveniles and join crèches (watched over by a smaller number of adults), while parents return to the sea to forage for food. That will hopefully be the next chapter of the Emperor life-cycle for us to report on…

Again a similar warning to our previous story – heaps of ‘cute’ photos to follow with many taken with zoom lenses so you can get ‘up close and personal’.

Dave Buller

A group of emperor penguins sussing out human visitors, with the rookery and surrounding ice cliff walls in the background
A group of emperor penguins that have left the rookery to investigate human visitors
Three emperors standing one behind the other, facing the same way
A group of penguins standing next to each-other near the colony, with a number of chicks perched on parents' feet
A close-up of a chick sitting on its parent's feet, with the parent looking down at it
A close-up of a young chick sitting on its parent's feet - seemingly looking forward at the camera
A close-up side-shot of a chick perched on its parent's feet
a close-up of a chick perched low on its parent's feet, but almost covered by the parent's brood pouch
A chick standing on its parent's feet and looking up, seemingly chirping for more food
A parent nudging a chick to walk forward on the sea ice
A young chick taking a few steps of its own with parent close by
An older penguin chick seemingly taking its first steps, with parent immediately behind
A portrait photo of a chick and parent, seemingly posing for the camera
Two parents facing inwards with chicks on their feet, one of which is chirping for food and looking upwards
A young chick asleep on its parent's feet

Want to live and work in Antarctica? Sign up for job alerts now.

on