A day in the life of emperor chicks at Auster... continued
This is the next of a (now) multi-story series on Auster Rookery. In the last month the expeditioners of Mawson have been keenly watching the emperor chicks develop, with weekly trips taken over September. It seems the hatchlings are well on their way to becoming juveniles, with many having grown significantly in size and commencing the next phase of life… forming into creches rather than defaulting to the security of their parent’s feet. They are certainly more mobile, more confident, a little feisty and a lot ‘chirpier’ than observed in previous visits. It’s no wonder that the parents head off around this time ‘to fish’ - as leaving the kids in ‘childcare’ must surely provide respite from this Generation Beta’s constant badgering, complaining and pleas for food!
Having recently passed the Spring Equinox (where Mawson’s days are now longer than the nights), the sun’s rays and warmer days make a trip out to Auster even more pleasurable. The first trips in early July required adhering to tight schedules to make the most of the 4-5 hours of either twilight or token sunlight. Now the only consideration is whether the sunnies are packed and enough sunscreen has been applied before stepping out!
The sun also inspires heightened activity at the rookery. As per usual, this was exampled soon after the arrival of our Haggs, where the obligatory welcoming party assembled around the parking area… this time to be joined by a number of self-assured chicks. (We still think there’s a cunning plan afoot to steal a Hagg, but this has yet to be accomplished.) These youngsters are surprisingly mobile and bold now, given how ambulatory they might have appeared soon after hatching. Added mobility also fosters the curiosity to inspect all things that are different. When the chicks are seemingly uninhibited and pushing in front of the adults to check things out, you know you are in for a great day’s entertainment.
It won’t be long however, before these chicks lose their youthful ‘cuteness’ and turn into juveniles, growing to be nearly as tall as their parents. They will start to produce waterproof feathers and begin the process of shedding their fluffy down. As the number of adults around the rookery decreases over time, the juveniles will soon join the adults by taking to the water and fishing/fending for themselves. But before that occurs, we’ll hopefully be able to provide another instalment(s) on, “A day in the life of penguins at Auster”.
Dave Buller
