Heat Wave

December 9, 2008

It is warm at Cape Crozier. Today was just above freezing most of the day, no clouds, and no wind!

Warm temperatures are nice for working in the penguin colony. We discarded heavy jackets and walked around in two layers of fleece. Thawing does make things smell, though, and all the old penguin carcasses and piles of guano were noticeable this afternoon. Back at the hut, the roof leaks are dripping and our frozen dinners and human waste buckets are thawing. Cold may be cold, but at least it is clean torture.

The surprise of the day was a new bird species for the season. My heart skipped when I spotted a tiny bird zigzagging across the penguin colony: a Wilson’s Storm-Petrel, unusual but not unheard of at Cape Crozier. Apparently you can attract them with sardines and crackers (only unintentionally, of course). That makes seven species for the season so far: Adelie Penguin, Emperor Penguin, South Polar Skua, Snow Petrel, Antarctic Petrel, Southern Fulmar, and Wilson’s Storm-Petrel. We aren’t likely to add any more this year, but something rare could show up. In the past 13 seasons, Chinstrap Pengin and Long-tailed Jaeger have both been recorded once, and that’s pretty much it for the Cape Crozier bird list.