Ewan Edwards on Bird Island

29.03.2010 - BBC Earth Explorers feature

2010-03-29T08:28:00.000-07:00

I will update my blog once more, for old times sake, before I leave. Apologies for the slackness, but I have hundreds of photos waiting to be uploaded!

In the meantime, there is a feature on the BBC website on satellite-tagging of wandering albatrosses to follow their progress as their chick grows on the nest.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/expeditions/albatrossadventure/stories/albatrossdiary

18.09.2009 - Seabirds and sunshine

2009-09-18T08:56:00.000-07:00

A snow petrel takes off into the wind

To see these birds at such close range is really special

King penguins don't breed here. They come to moult (and look really scruffy) in the summer, so when they turn up in winter, they are more photogenic!

A chinstrap penguin - these breed in large numbers elsewhere around South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, and further south in the Antarctic, but not on Bird Island

August was a fantastic month in many ways. Firstly we saw our first significant snowfalls since June, and by the end of the month we were able to ski all the way to base from the slopes of the mountain on which we ski. In addition, the prevailing wind direction for the month was from the east, which meant bright, clear and cold days. Some days we recorded over six hours of sunshine - anyone who has spent any time on Bird Island, especially during the summer, knows that days like these need to be treasured. The cold, clear and almost-calm days meant time spent outside was a joy. We had a barbecue one calm night, when the temperature was well below freezing, but the lack of wind made it quite bearable.

In addition to the longer, dry and sunny days, we had some great wildlife encounters. Around the beginning of the month, upwards of 12 snow petrels could be regularly seen in the bays around the island. These have never been confirmed as breeding on Bird Island, and most sightings are fleeting glimpses as the birds fly past, out at sea. But seeing these beautiful, pure white birds at close quarters is something special, and sometimes we have to stop and think how lucky we are to see them like this.

We have also seen quite a number of chinstrap penguins. They used to breed on Bird Island in a small colony on Johnson Beach, but this disappeared several years ago. Now and again, a pair attempts to breed amongst the 80,000 macaroni penguins on Goldcrest Point, but otherwise, we class them as 'visitors' rather than 'residents'. During August and early September we have seen quite a few chinstraps. They look very smart, and although not as tall as our numerous gentoo penguins, they seem to have an very long tail!

The wandering albatross chicks are still on their nests, although they are starting to look more like birds now, as their dark feathers grow through the grey down. They will start to leave the island at the end of November, nearly one year on from their parents arriving to breed.

08.09.09 - Leopard seals on BBC Earth News website

2009-09-08T07:59:00.000-07:00

I was contacted by the BBC Natural History Unit who asked if I could provide a series of photographs for a gallery on the Earth News section of the BBC website. This related to the publication of a recent short scientific paper, entitled First documentation of leopard seal predation of South Georgia pintail duck, by Jaume Forcada, Glenn Crossin and myself (please email me if you would like a copy of the paper to read).

If you haven't seen the photo gallery, it is available here:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8237000/8237714.stm

07.09.2009 - Bird Island on TMS

2009-09-07T15:57:00.000-07:00

Test Match Special is an institution of the British summer. It is a long-running radio programme, broadcast on BBC Radio 4, giving ball-by-ball commentary of cricket test matches (five-day international games between the top teams). During the final test of the recent Ashes series between England and Australia, Jose (wintering predator/squid biologist) and I emailed the show to say we were listening from Bird Island - this seemed to capture the imagination of the presenters and they read out our email on air. You can hear a clip of the broadcast here (apologies to the BBC for stealing part of their radio programme):

07.08.2009 - BAS web diaries

2009-08-07T06:06:00.000-07:00

The Bird Island web diaries for April, May and June have recently appeared on the British Antarctic Survey website.

April:
http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/living_and_working/diaries/bird_island/2009/04/index.php

May:
http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/living_and_working/diaries/bird_island/2009/05/index.php

June
http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/living_and_working/diaries/bird_island/2009/06/index.php


You can find our contribution to the South Georgia website news and events page for July at:

http://www.sgisland.gs/index.php/(h)South_Georgia_Newsletter%2C_July_2009?useskin=

28.07.2009 - Sunshine at last

2009-07-28T17:00:00.000-07:00

Sunshine recorder and wind instrument on top of the communications tower - recording some fine weather for a change!

Prince House, our main accommodation building

Stacey and Derren carry out some maintenance on the met instruments

Freshwater Inlet, with the base and mountain behind

A giant petrel taking off from the water

Northern giant petrel

Sleeping seals covered in wind-blown snow

A young blue-eyed shag on a rock

A female fur seal rejecting the males untimely advances

A young male seal enjoying the sun

When fur seals sleep they often tuck their flippers in around themselves

The fur seals seem much more relaxed when the sun shines!

It is incredible how the appearance of the sun can change ones mood. I for one feel a lot more cheery when the sun shines upon my pale skin - although being so fair of complexion I have to be careful to avoid being burnt! The fur seals too seem more relaxed, and generally of a better mood, when basking in the sunshine.

Thus far this winter the weather has been, in general, appalling. The not-insignificant amount of snow that has fallen has either thawed soon after, or has been blown away by southerly gales, over the cliff edge on the north side of the island, only to melt into nothingness when it lands upon the sea once again. We have had days of fog, more commonly associated with the summer.

Dreams of long cold spells with clear skies, like Derren, Fabrice, Flea and I experienced last winter, have led to weeks of frustration - skis staying in storage, snow shoes gathering dust... but in the last few days, as we approach August, we have seen signs of a change. A couple of days of sunshine and snow showers have left the place with a far more wintery feel.

Today, with temperatures well below freezing and the bright sun shining down on us, was hopefully the beginning of a memorable period of fine winter weather, which will allow us plenty chances to get out and ski and enjoy the place at its best.

11.07.2009 - Extra photos

2009-07-11T07:31:00.000-07:00

Wanderer Ridge with South Georgia and Snow Peak behind

An albatross chick on Long Ridge

Roche Peak from North Valley

Roche Peak from Landing Beach

Roche Peak, the base, Wanderer Ridge and South Georgia behind in low evening light

Jose and Ewan after camping on Top Meadows - ready for a cup of tea back at base!

The cliffs of the Paryadin Ridge, South Georgia

A wandering albatross chick on its nest

A wanderer chick silhouetted against the sea and evening sky

As I prepare to enter the kitchen for a day of cooking (Saturday is three-course dinner day!) I thought I would put up some more pictures.

Being such a small island, we quickly grow accustomed to the same views, day in, day out. However the variety comes with the changing seasons, changing light, and the changing wildlife. The view from the top of North Valley - the normal route for us from base to the penguin and albatross colonies around the meadows) - is constantly changing with the seasons, from day to day, and even just from one hour to the next. I never get bored of taking, what must be, photos from the same location, of the same view - there is always something different going on.

11.07.2009 - Camping on the meadows

2009-07-11T05:32:00.000-07:00

On the way to Top Meadow, Tilley lamp in hand

The albatross chicks we met on the way must have been very confused at the unusual sight of people, with bright lights, at night!

Settling down for the night, around the stove and lamp, in thick down sleeping bags with a waterproof bivi bag on the outside, and a thick self-inflating "Thermarest" mattress

The moon was in its 'waning gibbous' phase, a few days after full moon. When the skies were clear the moon lit up the landscape brightly

Waking up the next morning, Jose pointed his camera at me as I emerged from my sleeping bag! What a way to wake up! (Notice the ice on the bivi bag after our night at -3ºC).

What a view to wake up to: a rainbow, albatross chicks and the snow-dusted Willis Islands

Lighting the Primus stove

I get some hot water on the go for hot chocolate as the sun rises over North Cliffs

On July 9th, whilst checking the beaches for leopard seals on a beautiful calm evening, I decided to spend the night outdoors. A nearly-full moon lit up the bay and valleys and it seemed so inviting.

Jose and I set off from base at 22:00hrs with sleeping bags, a stove, some hot chocolate powder and a paraffin lamp in hand, and climbed up North Valley to camp on Top Meadow. Armed only with bivi bags (no tent), we were hoping for a calm and clear night.

We were in luck. We found a relatively sheltered flat spot, near to some wandering albatross nests, with their fat chicks waiting for parents to return to feed them. A snow shower or two did nothing to put us off as we set up our "camp" and lit the stove to make a hot drink.

We both slept well, although had to wake up a few times to adjust the zip of our bivi bags. Once inside it is very cozy, but with little ventilation so condensation can be a problem. Between snow showers, it was good to unzip the bags a little and get some fresh air.

In the morning, our bivi bags were covered with a layer of ice where the snow had melted and refrozen (upon returning to base, we found the temperature to be -2deg, and probably a degree colder up on the meadows). We made more hot chocolate whilst still inside our down sleeping bags and bivi bags, and both of us admitted it hadn't been as cold as it might have been.

We began to understand how the wandering albatross chicks cope during the winter, as their thick coat of grey down traps air, just like our sleeping bags had done for us, ensuring a comfortable night. However that had been good weather, and yet the wanderer chicks do it in all conditions, from when they are first left unguarded by their parents in April, through to fledging just before Christmas.

And as the sun rose over North Cliffs, we both remarked on what an incredible place this was to wake up. A quick radio call to base ensured that there were bacon sandwiches and a pot of tea waiting for us on our return. Thanks Derren and Stacey :)

2009-07-08T06:24:00.000-07:00

08.07.2009 - The view from my bedroom

2009-07-08T05:57:00.000-07:00

Some days the view is uninspiring, with low cloud/fog obscuring the mountain

After a cold, clear night, a thick layer of ice has reformed on the puddles and streams outside the base

This seal was sleeping on the walkway on Tuesday...

...and in the same place on Wednesday morning!

In the middle of the winter the sun doesn't rise above Roche Peak, instead silhouetting it at around 12:30

A frozen stream (waterfall) in North Valley, 250m uphill from the back of the base

How incredible it is to look straight up the hill from my bedroom window and see a pair of wandering albatross adults visiting their chick

Sat at my desk in my room this morning, struggling with some mundane data entry, I glanced out the window and once again had one of those moments, all too common on Bird Island, where it is worth stopping to take in the amazing sights and sounds of the island.

05.07.2009 - Tagging a leopard seal

2009-07-07T03:45:00.000-07:00

An adult male leopard seal dozes at the shoreline. I approached by stealth, crawling in to its tail end, to try and place a tag and GLS (geolocator) device

When I tried to put the tag into its hind flipper, the 3m long animal woke up and saw me

The seal gives its threat display, a wide-open mouth showing his teeth. Time to make a quick exit...

After this disturbance, the seal headed to the water. Hopefully he'll come back to give me another chance to tag him!

04.07.2009 - Winter sets in

2009-07-04T12:14:00.000-07:00

Slush forms in the sea when the temperature falls below -2°C and here is seen washed up on the shoreline

The mountains of the Paryadin Peninsula (South Georgia) shine in the early morning sun

This seal has probably the best view on the island, from its spot high in Mountain Cwm - surrounded by the eastern Bird Island peaks and overlooking South Georgia at its wintery finest

Stacey admires a small female leopard seal on Freshwater Beach, July 4th 2009

The summit of Roche Peak (356m) looks alpine with a dusting of snow

A seal sleeps at an altitude of 150m in Mountain Cwm, overlooking Bird Sound and Cape Alexandra, South Georgia

Mountain Cwm, a large scree-lined coire to the east of the island, and arguably the best ski run (when there is plenty of snow)

Macaroni Cwm (so named because of the macaroni penguin colony there) with the north coast of South Georgia in the distance

A leopard seal, showing what makes it such a formidable predator in the Antarctic

After some very mixed weather since the ship departed in April, late June/early July has seen us experience our first prolonged cold spell. Because of Bird Island's oceanic location, the weather is dominated by low pressure systems, which tend to come from the west, bringing very changable conditions with them.

Bird Island, and South Georgia, lie south of the Antarctic polar front, also called the Antarctic Convergence. This is the boundary between mild South Atlantic water, and cold Antarctic water. This means that despite our low latitude (when compared with other BAS bases, Rothera and Halley, and even with that of the UK) we experience a sub-Antarctic climate.

Bird Island lies 54 degrees south of the equator. This is actually slightly north of Cape Horn. To put this in perspective, Harrogate, Bridlington and Lancaster in England lie 54 degrees north of the equator, and the Shetland Isles lie north of 60 degrees north. The reason the UK is relatively mild, and South Georgia is colder, is due to ocean currents.

The UK and northern Europe is warmed by the North Atlantic current, an extension of the Gulf stream: a current which originates in the Gulf of Mexico and follows the eastern coast of North America before crossing the North Atlantic. Without the effect of this current, north west Europe would be much colder than it is.

The Antarctic polar front marks the boundary between ~5°C South Atlantic water, and Antarctic water which is generally 2°C or below. This is why South Georgia, and Bird Island, experiences a colder climate year-round than might be expected for a location of this latitude. Temperatures on Bird Island have not risen above 10°C during the 22 months I have been here - although nor have they fallen below -10°C.

So, with the snow of the last few weeks, the island has taken on a more wintery look. The streams have frozen solid and travel around the island is facilitated by the use of crampons and snow shoes.

01.07.2009 - Weddell seal at Bird Island

2009-07-03T07:36:00.000-07:00

Weddell seal

The Weddell seal on the beach

On July 1st, we saw a rare (although not unheard of) visitor to Bird Island - a Weddell seal. The animal was seen hauled out on the rocky shore of Evermann Cove. It was a juvenile female, about 1.4m in length.

Weddell seals are considered "pack ice seals" - along with leopard seals, Ross seals and crabeater seals. They breed much further south on the sea ice surrounding the Antarctic continent. However there is a small population resident at the south-eastern end of South Georgia. It is impossible to say without further analysis where this animal has come from.

Unfortunately I saw the animal late in the day, and the light was poor for photography. I returned to take more photos the next day, and it had gone. It was nice to see this unusual visitor on our little island, though!

06.05.09 - Snow on the beaches

2009-05-06T04:17:00.000-07:00

Gentoo penguins in the snow on Landing Beach

A gentoo penguin rests on Landing Beach

A female fur seal on Landing Beach melts the snow around her

Juvenile Southern elephant seal in the kelp - notice how the snow has settled on it

Here are some photos of wintery-looking animals seen around the beaches on the afternoon on May 5th.

03.05.2009 - HONK!

2009-05-03T09:11:00.000-07:00

03.05.2009 - Early winter photos

2009-05-03T07:05:00.000-07:00

Dusting off the sledges

A tiny unguarded wandering albatross chick

Wandering albatross adults on Wanderer Ridge

Moulting macaroni penguins in Mac Cwm

South Georgia pipit above the base

Dave on a sledge

A male fur seal practices at holding territory in the snow

Evermann Cove and stormy evening skies over South Georgia and La Roche

A grey-headed albatross feeds its chick, Colony A

Grey headed albatross chick on its nest, Colony A

With the departure of the BAS ship, RRS James Clark Ross after resupplying our food stores on April 13th, we go into another long winter on Bird Island. At present, we do not expect another ship visit for six months. There are five on base: myself, Derren and Stacey (the three Zoological Field Assistants), David (technician) and Jose (a squid and predator biologist).

The weather has turned a little wintery in recent days, with some snow showers - and although we don't really expect enough snow for winter sports until June or July, Dave and I have already managed a bit of tobogganing up on the lower slopes of La Roche.

The black-browed albatross chicks have been leaving the island, and the grey-headed chicks won't be far behind. Wandering albatross parents are returning every few days to feed their chicks which have recently been left unguarded, and will remain on the nest throughout the winter.

29.04.2009 - Return of the leopard seals

2009-05-03T06:04:00.000-07:00

After an absence since the beginning of November, on April 29th we saw the first returning leopard seal of the winter.

The seal, a large adult female that was seen 20 times last winter, was hauled out on Main Bay beach, three weeks earlier than the first hauled-out seal was seen last year.

Seal #2008001, known as Rhian, seen on April 29th 2009 returning to the water at Main Bay

The database ID photograph from last year with which I matched the seal

The leopard seals come here in the winter to eat penguins and seal pups. They love to lie on ice and snow to rest, and clearly this seal was drawn out of the water onto the beach with the recent snowfall.

07.11.2008 - Macaroni penguins

2008-11-07T16:03:00.001-08:00

The macaroni penguins have returned after their winter at sea. Here are some photos.

Penguins 'porpoising' on their way to climb out of the water

A leopard seal, lying offshore in wait for an easy snack

The macaronis have to contend with some huge waves - a washing machine at the foot of the colony

It can take several attempts before they make a successful landing on solid rock

All wet and sleek, recently emerged from the sea

They are called macaroni penguins because of their gold crest...

...it is a reference to the 'dandies' of the 18th century, who would go to Italy on travels and return with fashionable blonde streaks in their hair...

The colony fills up fast - only two weeks ago this was a bare scree slope - now the noise and smell of the busy penguin colony is incredible

Re: 06.11.2008 - Jetty Bog

2008-11-06T15:00:00.001-08:00

Contrary to the belief of some, the seal under the toilet photo from the post below was NOT Photoshopped! It is a real photograph!

06.11.2008 - Full circle

2008-11-06T08:32:00.001-08:00

Having arrived on Bird Island on November 4th 2007, I have now been here a full year - not quite halfway through my time South, but then again I don't want to make it sound like I am longing to come home. In fact, quite the opposite. I feel quite at home here on our little rock in the Southern Ocean. It has been fascinating to see the island go 'full-circle'. Last November I arrived at the same time as the first bull fur seals, and seeing their return to the beaches in the last few days has brought to completion a fascinating years cycle.

Adult male Antarctic fur seal beside the fuel drums

Over the next few weeks, as the short summer peaks and then fades at these southern latitudes, we shall witness once again the explosion of life that makes Bird Island so special - the first eggs have already been laid around the island (northern giant petrels, gentoo penguins, grey-headed albatrosses and the tiny South Georgia pipits are the first breeders) and soon these will be hatching. The first fur seal pups are expected from the middle of November, making the beaches inaccessible except to the bravest of folk.

Some juvenile fur seals play-fight at the shore

It will be a few weeks yet before the wandering albatrosses return to their nest sites, two years since they last bred, to begin another year-long task of raising a single chick, which will hopefully help halt the decline in numbers of wanderers, that have been so badly hit by irresponsible fishing practices. This years chicks are starting to look more like birds, after waiting on their nests throughout the winter, insulated by a thick coat of down that they are now shedding, making way for feathers. By Christmas, most will have fledged.

After our quiet winter with only four on base from mid-April until mid-September, our numbers swelled, first to six, then to eight, before dropping back to six again with the departure of the BBC crew. It is always nice to see new faces, which always bring a new dynamic to life on the island. The arrival of the BAS ship on November 22nd will bring numbers on base back up again, including the arrival of two of next years wintering team, who we are keen to meet! Derren and I by that stage will be the 'old hands' on BI, as Fabrice will have departed.

An adult male fur seal guards the main door into the base

The weather has turned altogether more summery, with melting snow and ice except on the craggy slopes of La Roche above us. Summery, however, does not necessarily mean warm, and it is possible to have flurries of snow at any time throughout the year. However during the long, light evenings of the midsummer period it is sometimes easy to forget the gnarly extremes of the winter, which already seem long ago. The weather in summer is apparently more changable - whereas in winter we could have several days of settled weather, summer is a time for the proverbial 'four seasons in a day'.

The gentoo penguins have returned to the kitchen door this year - we are waiting to see whether nest building attempts lead to eggs and eventually chicks on our doorstep!

06.11.2008 - SSB

2008-11-06T08:24:00.000-08:00

The Special Study Beach fur seal population study began once again on November 1st. It has been running continuously in its present form since the 1980s and is one of the most complete demographic studies of seals anywhere in the world.

SSB November 1st - no seals yet...

It is comprised of three main parts: giving the territory-holding male animals individual paint marks so that they can be tracked throughout the season, as well as taking genetics samples; counting and identifying (through the use of flipper tags and implanted microchips) the females as they arrive to pup; and counting, marking with flipper tags and microchips and taking birth weights and genetic samples from the newborn pups. We also post-mortem any pups that die, to ascertain a cause of death.

A newly returned bull fur seal has a big shake as he emerges from the sea

The seal team (this season, myself and Jaume) visit the beach every day at 09:00, and twice-daily (09:00 and 17:00) once the first pup is born, and this continues until a week after the last pup is born on the beach - usually the first week of January. It is a short but very intense season - during the peak period (Dec 1 - Dec 15) we can be on the beach for as much as 8 hours per day.

Thus far only a few bull seals have returned. The females will start to arrive by the middle of the month, with pups very soon after. The number of animals on the beach each day builds to a peak around Dec 10th and by 15th the hardest period is over and things start to calm down. By then, many of the mothers are at sea on foraging trips, the males are starting to disappear after six weeks fighting for territories, and the older pups have started to explore further from their birthplaces!

SSB November 6th - the first few territory holders, with individual paint marks

The beach is about 1.5x the size of a tennis court, but incredibly is the birthplace of over 700 pups each year. It is almost impossibly crowded, and the only way we can work there is by means of an aerial gantry constructed of scaffolding, allowing us to work close to but at a safe distance from the seals. There is a small wendy house for storage of the kit, and to allow us the opportunity to get out of the worst of the weather.

Last year was the third-most successful year (in terms of numbers of pups) for a decade, with 736 pups born (769 was the recent record). If this year approaches that number of births, then it will be the third 'good' year in a row. This suggests that the at-sea foraging conditions for the Bird Island predators are very good at this time.

It is a lovely bit of work - hard on the body and mind (physically strenuous work and long hours) but wonderful spending time in such close proximity to the seals. Although the endangered wandering albatrosses steal the show on Bird Island, surely most people's memories, especially of visitors during the height of the summer, will be filled with the antics of the handsome, intelligent and beautiful fur seals.

06.11.2008 - The jetty bog

2008-11-06T08:09:00.000-08:00

Dunny, outhouse, cludgie, bog, john... whatever your name for it, the lavatory is an important facility in anyones home. Although we have indoor toilets on Bird Island these days, a relic remains from the days when running water was a rare commodity in the hut...

The jetty bog in winter

The 'jetty bog', as it is known, is the only toilet on Bird Island with a window. As the name suggests, is located at the end of the scaffolding jetty, and the convenience of indoor WCs means that it doesn't get as much use these days as in the past. During peak seal season, getting to the end of the jetty is requires considerable effort and concentration, as the fur seals congregate, pup and viciously defend territories on the walkway itself.

Seal in the surf by the jetty

But it is worth it. Going to the loo becomes a real accomplishment, and you are treated to the incredible sights, sounds and smells of the wildlife as you go about your business...!

View from the loo, looking right...

...and looking left

And then, now and again, the effort is rewarded by the kind of experience that no one would ever believe if you told them...

A young male elephant seal comes to have a look
at what is going on above his head!

27.10.2008 - Winter Review part 2

2008-10-27T07:01:00.000-07:00

Gentoo penguins crowd Johnson Beach at sunset

Coming ashore in huge numbers...

Sunset on the ski slope

Fur seals play in the snow

Sunset over South Georgia - leopard seal on ice in the middleground

Ski route, marked in red, from La Roche to base

Skiing high on the eastern slopes of La Roche, in Mountain Cwm

Post-winter-haircut, skiing in Mountain Cwm

Ski area on the SW slopes of La Roche

Snowboarding on La Roche

After midwinter, of course, the days start to grow longer. This meant we had more time to get out and about to enjoy the island at its wintery finest. Winter sports were popular, and a shallow-sloping coire on the SW slopes of La Roche, just above Wanderer Ridge, provided the closest and best conditions, only half an hours walk up from base. During July, August and early September, it was possible to ski directly to Freshwater Beach, and the back door of the base, from a height of around 200m on La Roche, via the stream beds and tussac meadows of Wanderer Valley.

Around the beginning of September I made a bit of an expedition into Mountain Cwm, a scree-lined coire towards the eastern end of the island, overlooking the narrowest bit of Bird Sound, separating us from the South Georgia mainland. The skiing conditions out here, where the slopes rarely (if ever) saw the sun, were a mixture of fresh, wind-blown snow and hard packed icy conditions, coupled with the steeper slope made for some brilliant, exciting skiing. Always in the back of your mind, however, is the fact that we are at least 5 days from the nearest hospital, so we aren't so inclined to push it too hard!

The leopard seal fieldwork kept me busy most days, with a considerable increase in the number of sightings from the previous year, owing perhaps to a relatively large sea ice extent further South. On calm sunny days, sometimes eight or nine different seals were seen, but when the weather was lousy, or there wasn't much ice around, the seals would tend to stay in the water, largely out of sight. I managed to put tags on several of the animals, which makes identifying them easier when they return in subsequent years.

At the beginning of every month we do an all-island wandering albatross census: this involves checking all the nests that were marked by Derren at the beginning of the year to check whether the chicks are still surviving. Once they hatch from their eggs, survival of wandering albatrosses is very good, although the numbers have declined from 1500 nests each year twenty years ago, to only around 800 these days. The census allows us the perfect opportunity to go out for a good tramp around the hills, checking on the fast-growing chicks.

In addition to the fieldwork (much reduced from its summer peak) there are various office tasks to do, such as the compilation of various reports for the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) and our own annual Bird and Mammal Review, detailing interesting wildlife sightings from the past year, which gets circulated internally at BAS HQ in Cambridge. But aside from the work, the winter is a very fun time on Bird Island for relaxing, hobbies, and fun evenings.

We organised several themed nights during the winter, usually on Saturday nights (our weekly three-course feast, washed down by several gin and tonics) and on a few occassions we fired up the hot tub - this is an old water tank that sits outdoors on the walkway, with comfortable space for four people but not much more, which can be filled with hot water from the tank and is a really nice way to spend a cold dark winter's evening. We had several barbecues outdoors under the stars. It is important to have time to relax during the winter, as the summer field seasons are so busy.

We continued skiing and snowboarding into September, and Flea celebrated his birthday high on the slopes of La Roche, albeit in the fog, getting a few late-season runs in. In fact, I was skiing only last week, and the base seems to be holding up. My intention is to get some skiing in at the beginning of November, and if at all possible, a few turns on Christmas day, after midsummer!

The arrival of the Golden Fleece at the beginning of September brought to an end the official winter, and in fact thereafter the weather was fairly mild. Our winter minimum temperature, which came about on the night we had a barbecue, was -6.7deg C, nothing like the extremes of temperature seen further South, or even at similar Northern latitudes near my home in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, but during these cold, dry periods we could see temperatures remaining below freezing for several days or weeks at a time. We didn't see temperatures above +2deg C between May and September.

27.10.2008 - Winter Review part 1

2008-10-27T05:47:00.000-07:00

Tagging a leopard seal, Freshwater Beach

Midwinter photo 1

Midwinter photo 2

Midwinter Games 2008

Testing the rescue sledge on the beach

Flea (base technician and winter base commander) pumps water from the stream

Derren and I brandish our ice axes on the summit of La Roche, July 2008

Its not the North Face of the Eiger, but the winter conditions meant we could play on some frozen waterfalls. Here, Derren leads me on the cliffs of the south coast

Freshwater Inlet from Cave Crag (jetty and base visible); South Georgia behind

Icebergs in Bird Sound, from near the Special (seal) Study Beach

Leopard seal has a stretch and yawn whilst hauled out on a bergy bit

Tonk and Freshwater Bay from Molly Hill

Various landmarks from Wanderer Ridge

The base in a snow shower

Winter already feels like a distant memory, but it was a hugely enjoyable time. One of the true advantages of a Bird Island winter is that, unlike Halley and Rothera further South, we never lose the sun completely. The days around the end of June (midwinter) are short and gloomy, and in truth the sun never actually hits the base itself (as it barely rises above the cliffs to the north), but at least we have daylight, and it is possible to get into the sun if you walk up the hill to the meadows or the slopes of La Roche.

Winter began for real on April 29th, when Fabrice arrived back from a dental trip to the Falklands. The fishery patrol vessel took away Chris, who had been visiting doing some plumbing work, and returned Fabrice so that we could all settle into our winter proper. By the end of May we'd seen our first big dump of snow and the first of the hauled-out leopard seals which would become regular visitors over the next few months. The days grew shorter rapidly and this meant that it was dark well after we awoke in the mornings.

June was on the whole not a very snowy month, although near the beginning we had some stunning crisp, cold and clear days when the bay filled with a mixture of brash ice (from disintegrating glacier ice (icebergs) offshore) and pancake ice - newly formed sea ice which starts as small round plates on the surface of the sea, the edges turned up by constant rubbing together. This never froze solid enough to support our weight but it was enough to support the weight of some smaller fur seals.

Midwinters Day is traditionally a big celebration for wintering teams in Antarctica. We received messages from the many stations all over the icy continent and its offlying islands, from almost all nationalities that maintain a wintering presence: Australia, Brazil, Chile, USA, Argentina, Japan, New Zealand to name a few - as well as our British colleagues at Base R (Rothera), Base Z (Halley) and King Edward Point, on the South Georgia mainland. As Christmas Day falls in the middle of summer, Midwinter feels more christmassy than Christmas!

The day itself (June 21) started with a big cooked breakfast, and once it got light (10:45am) we headed outdoors, armed with flasks of mulled wine and mince pies, for the annual Midwinter Highland Games! Events included crossbow archery, snowball target shooting, welly-wanging (hold a wellington boot in your teeth and throw it as far as possible!), hurling the haggis and tossing the caber. We were outside for over three hours, dressed in kilts fashioned from old tartan shirts. Fabrice clearly relished his role as the old man of the island, by making up the rules as he went along!

Our annual midwinters day swim had to be postponed on two accounts: firstly, the large accumulation of sea ice in the bay would have made jumping off the jetty a painful affair, and secondly, the presence of a hungry-looking leopard seal lurking in the shallows near the jetty was enough to put anyone off. These animals are fierce predators and have big teeth, and our seal-like appearance after several weeks of Bird Island winter rations may have been too tempting for a leopard seal to resist.

Later that day we enjoyed a huge feast, several courses that had us eating through until after midnight! Afterwards Fabrice dressed as Santa and produced some gifts that had been sent by friends and family last year on the ship and stored secretly until midwinter. This was a really nice surprise as we hadn't been expecting it. We listened to the midwinter broadcast to all wintering FIDs (BAS 'South' personnel, from the days when the British Antarctic Survey was known as the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey, or FIDS) on the BBC World Service, and heard greetings from friends and family at home.

During the rest of the midwinter week we enjoyed many fun events, including a beer festival (with 20 varieties of ales, lagers and ciders, including our own Albatross Ale homebrew!); a pub crawl, where we each outfitted one part of the base as a pub in a style of our choice; a 24 Marathon, where we watched a whole series of 24 (the US TV show starring Kiefer Sutherland) during one day (07:00 to 07:00 the next day); as well as the usual mix of fieldwork and base duties. The end of June was a very busy time for leopard seal sightings, with 11 seen on one day, and the weather was largely settled and cold.

24.10/2008 - Spring on Bird Island

2008-10-24T04:56:00.000-07:00

Winter has come and gone in the blink of an eye. Our peace and quiet was cut short by the arrival of a BBC film crew on September 10th and an additional two scientists towards the end of the month. Now, as we approach the end of October, the short, dark and cold days of winter, with only four of us on Bird Island and no visitors for five months, seem a long time ago. Recently the weather has been feeling much more springlike, with temperatures approaching 4 deg C (although only a few hours later it was freezing again).

Mark and Matt from the BBC Natural History Unit visited Bird Island to do some filming for a new BBC high-definition super-series, in the same vein as Planet Earth. Unfortunately their month-long stay coincided with the worst weather that we'd seen since the end of the summer, and mild temperatures (and hence rain), strong winds and the infamous Bird Island 'mank' (fog) make shooting a television programme a real challenge, but they put in some long days in the field, braving not just the weather but the wildlife! I hope they produced some footage that will make the final programme. Being restricted by what they were trying to film didn't help their cause - when one of the main things they wanted to see was wandering albatross chicks in the snow, the lack of significant snowfall in September didn't help...

Of course, the day that they left, it snowed.

Jaume and Glenn in the snow, the day that the BBC departed

Jaume Forcada (a senior scientist from BAS) and Glenn Crossin, working on the physiology of seabirds, arrived on the fishery patrol vessel towards the end of September and have slotted right into island life. Jaume is a Bird Island veteran (this being his seventh season visiting the island) but for Glenn it is a new experience. He was inspired to seek out a project working with albatrosses following several oceanographic cruises in the Ross Sea with an American research programme.

The leopard seals that were present throughout the winter have now more or less all departed. A couple of animals have been seen until very recently feasting on the gentoo penguins returning every evening to Johnson Beach. Jaume estimates that leopard seals could consume as many as 12% of the BI gentoo penguin population each year! We had the very exciting sight of a leopard seal eating a South Georgia pintail (Anas georgica), believed to be the first time a wild leopard seal has been recorded eating a duck!

Leopard seal hunting a duck

The first large fur seal males are starting to return to the island, as are all the other breeding species. The giant petrels, black-browed and grey-headed albatrosses are all sitting on eggs, the gentoo penguins are laying just now and the macaroni penguins are beginning to arrive. Our daily visits to the fur seal Special Study Beach begin on November 1st so the hard work begins again, after the relative calm of the winter.

Macaroni penguins have started to arrive on BI after the winter

White-chinned petrels were first heard at night at the end of September

Our main base resupply, with the visit of the RRS James Clark Ross, will be occurring towards the end of November, when we shall also meet two of next years wintering team and our new base commander. We look forward to meeting everyone and to receiving a consignment of fresh fruit and veg and mail from folks at home.

18.09.2008 - July web diary

2008-09-19T09:08:00.001-07:00

In the absence of any recent blog updates from me, please visit:

http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/living_and_working/diaries/bird_island/2008/07/index.php

for the Bird Island July diary (written by me). Thanks

11.08.2008

2008-08-11T06:36:00.000-07:00

We are now more than halfway through the winter, and I haven't updated this since April. I promise some updates soon, in the meantime please read the Bird Island diaries on the BAS website, at http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/living_and_working/diaries/bird_island/2008/04/index.php

The April diary was written by me, and I am in the process of completing the July diary also.

I will get some new photos on arctocephalus.blogspot.com soon!

Ewan

06.04.2008 - Fur seal pups

2008-04-06T16:20:00.000-07:00

Fat fur seal pup, about three months old

Fur seals love to climb and hide to escape the bad weather

This pup, aged four months, is much smaller than most of the others

23.03.2008 - Photos of Prince House

2008-03-23T07:18:00.000-07:00

Fur seal pups on the back walkway

The 'wet' (animal handling) lab

The 'dry' lab

Fur seal pups outside the lab

The view north from the main door, showing the VSAT dome and Roche Peak

Dining and living room

View south from the dining table, over the beach with seals and penguins

Hot cross buns on Good Friday

Kitchen

The boot room, where we store and dry our outdoor gear

The main office

Dry food store

The freezer room, where we keep the beer and chocolate also

The main accommodation corridor

The medical cabinet

The main water holding tank

The new base on Bird Island, Prince House, was completed during 2005 and has been fully operational since then. Accomodating up to twelve people, although ten being the usual maximum, it is a well insulated new building with everything you would expect from a modern scientific station. The living quarters are spacious, warm and comfortable, and the workspaces are also built to an excellent standard, allowing us to carry out our jobs, helping deliver a programme of world-class science in this remote environment.

Our water supply comes mostly in the form of rain water, which is collected off the roof into a large holding tank, from where it is filtered to make it safe to drink. Electricity is provided from large diesel-powered generators that we shut down every night (operating essentials overnight on battery power) and start up first thing in the morning.

We have two labs, one for 'wet' work (animal handling etc.) and one for 'dry' (microscopes etc.). The office is large and warm and is a nice place to retire to after a day on the hill. Internet and telephone service comes over a VSAT satellite link with a company based in Aberdeen, and means that our phones here have UK numbers and are in effect merely extensions on the BAS internal phone system in Cambridge. This makes inter-base communication very cheap and easy indeed. The internet connection isn't fast, but is adequate for most things, and during quiet periods it is possible to listen to radio stations streamed over the internet.

Communication around base is with handheld marine VHF radios, and with a VHF repeater on top of one of the hills, we get good coverage over all the island. We also have Iridium satellite phones for emergencies.

Food is supplied twice a year, once at the start of the summer season (November) and once before we go into winter (April). There is a large range of very good food that is sent in, including many spices and herbs for making cooking more interesting, and a large selection of chocolate, essential for snacking whilst out doing fieldwork in cold weather! Of course, the quality of the meals we eat depends not only on the ingredients, but upon the various talents of the 'chef du jour'! The cook of the day makes the daily bread, and the variety of loaves produced ranges from huge wholemeal bloomers to skinny crunchy baguettes! On special occasions the chef will produce a culinary treat, for example mince pies at Christmas time, hot cross buns at Easter and birthday cakes!

The situation with alcohol relies upon trust that we will not abuse it. Other BAS bases have a 'two can rule' which states that base members have to stick to a limit of two cans of beer (or glasses of wine, etc. etc.) per night. We do not have this on Bird Island - but we are expected to limit our consumption to the point where we are never going to be a liability in an emergency situation. Having said that, Saturday nights tend to be our 'party night' and a nice time to let our hair down a little.

20.03.2008 - February and March

2008-03-20T16:48:00.002-07:00

Bird Island, map from Google Earth

The tall ship (barque) Europa, seen from the cliffs 19.03.2008

Wilsons storm petrels dance on the water whilst feeding

The first snow of winter, 20.03.2008

Don searching for untagged puppies at SSB, early March

Another happy customer

The second half of the summer has been action packed, although not with the same intensity of November and December. Don and I have been deploying tiny geolocator devices on young male fur seals, and more recently on adult females, to find out where they go during the winter. All the male seals have gone and only females and pups remain, the mums returning for a few days at a time to feed their pups, and then go back to sea to feed themselves. They are looking noticeably healthier now that they have put a bit of weight back on after giving birth around Christmas time.

The wandering albatross chicks are hatching too. They will remain with us through til November or December when they will finally leave, so it will be nice to see them grow throughout the winter as their parents return now and again to feed them. The census at the end of January revealed the highest number of breeding birds around the island for a few years, although nothing to get really excited about as they are still threatened by accidental drowning on fishing gear whilst feeding all around the Southern Ocean.

Robin, Claire and Helen left mid-February on the RRS James Clark Ross, and it was sad to see them go, but it was nice to be down to a team of seven for a while. The arrival of Chris Martin, a plumber coming in to do some project work, at the beginning of March has pushed our current number up to eight, which is a good, comfortable number. Any more and it starts to feel a little crowded, which is great socially, but for living and working can be a little intense. It is not so bad when you are used to a boarding house of fifty boys though, and I think I could cope with anything!

20.03.2008 - Wendy the fur seal

2008-03-20T16:21:00.000-07:00

Fur seals are aggressive animals. During the breeding season, they put several routes around the island (namely along the beaches) out of action, because entering into the territories of breeding males is very dangerous, and in these numbers, it would be practically impossible. We carry sticks at all times during the summer months, not as a weapon, but more for our own protection. Banging on the ground with the stick (known as a bodger) or just tickling the seal's whiskers is often enough to get them to retreat.

There are around three million fur seals worldwide, 95% of them on South Georgia, and around sixty thousand of them return to Bird Island to breed. They are all angry and aggressive - all except for one. One exception amongst the crowds of seals that either run in fear, or stand their ground, growling and threatening, perhaps even chasing you.

This one seal has been coming back to Bird Island for around eight years now, and is known to Bird Islanders as Wendy. Although she cannot be trusted fully, Wendy is friendly and almost tame. She is an adult female fur seal. She chases away other seals, as if to defend her human friends. She doesn't bite, although will latch on to clothing to prevent you leaving her! She loves having her tummy scratched and will even let you play with her ears.

She appears not to have had a pup for several years now, possibly due to her complete madness! But she does seem in good health, with a lovely fur coat and no awful injuries. Meeting Wendy is quite surreal, and it takes some adjusting after leaving her, to remember that not all fur seals are as friendly as her.

17.01.2008 - January update

2008-01-17T13:49:00.000-08:00

Macaroni penguin

Fur seal in the tussac

Puppy in the kitchen

Sunset over Jordan Cove

Male fur seal at sunset

Male and female at sunset

Happy New Year from Bird Island!

Derren gets to know a puppy

Grey-headed albatross chick

Gentoo parent and month-old chick

Young seals in the tussac

My birthday

Male fur seal with a plastic packing band entanglement

Black-browed albatross coming in to land

The last official visit to SSB was made on January 4^th 2008. This marked the end of an intense two months of daily visits, twice-daily since mid-November, and a bit of an end of an era for Donald, my predecessor, the outgoing seal fieldwork assistant. The rule is that once no new pups have been born on SSB for seven days, the daily visits can cease, as it is taken that no more pups will be born this season. The peak of the pupping was calculated to have been December 7^th although the day upon which most pups were born was December 12^th, with the arrival of 54 pups. It was nice for Don and I to be able to take some time off, although there has been little rest for us as there are many other jobs to keep us busy. We have been deploying geolocator tags, attached to flipper tags on some individuals, which are tiny devices, about the size of a slice of carrot that estimate location based on day length and the time of midday relative to GMT. The priority has been to get these tags out on young male animals, and this has led to some sporting action out on Freshwater Beach (in front of the base) of late, as the animals are strong and put up a good fight before they can be safely restrained for the attachment of the devices. The whole procedure seems to have no effect on the animals – when released from their restraint they scamper away as if nothing has happened.

Christmas was a low-key affair on Bird Island this year. We had some decorations that were put up around the base, and on the day we treated ourselves to an enormous dinner, which everyone helped to prepare. Of course, we had turkey and all the necessary accompaniments, including Brussels sprouts, but as well as that had a soup, a fish course, as well as cake, pudding and mince pies, and as is traditional at Christmas time, we all stuffed ourselves! During the day, everyone went across to SSB for a glass of mulled wine and a mince pie, and I was interviewed on BBC Radio Five Live about Christmas in such a remote location. The weather was breezy and drizzly, although the day did begin with a few snowflakes, which, according to bookmakers back home, is enough to constitute a white Christmas. But despite all the festivities, including staying up til past midnight on Christmas Eve to open presents early, the work did not stop, and Don and I still made two trips across to SSB, morning and evening. The thing with Christmas in the southern hemisphere when compared to Christmas in rural Aberdeenshire is the daylight. Bird Island is at the same latitude in the south as Leeds is in the north (54°) so we have comparable day length. That means that during our winter the days will be short and dull as the sun barely rises above the hills on the northern side of the island, but during this, the austral summer, the evenings are long and it isn't dark for very long at all at night.

December saw the arrival of Ben Tullis, an IT engineer from BAS HQ in Cambridge, who was visiting to install a new network server on Bird Island. Ben arrived in the midst of the seal chaos and fitted in quickly to life on base, by no means confined to barracks and stuck in front of a computer screen but having plenty of opportunities to get out and explore, and even assist with some of the science. His short visit was extended so as to allow more time to complete the project in hand, so our numbers swelled to a whopping eleven when Ewan Wakefield and Helen Peat arrived the day before Hogmanay. Ewan is a PhD student with BAS and the University of St Andrews, and is here to undertake research with black-browed albatrosses. Helen, her second time on at a BAS base, having previously visited Rothera on the peninsula, is here to work on the databasing of Long Term Monitoring and Survey project data, and to assist with the staking out of paths to protect the vegetation and burrowing birds from the effects of the base members tramping over the island. The two newcomers were excused cooking the next day, where we'd allocated each base member a continent/region of the world, from where they were to prepare a dish for a buffet meal before the coming of the New Year. I picked South America out of a hat, and made empanadas, something I had experienced in Argentina, a kind of pasty made with meat encased in pastry, not dissimilar to a Cornish pasty, although the filling tends to be a bit spicy. There were many tasty dishes prepared, from seafood chowder (representing North America) to vegetable samosas (Asia). We went down to the end of the jetty for 'the bells' and greeted the arrival of 2008 in the company of fur seals, on a light, calm but chilly evening. Needless to say, the night continued on into the the wee hours! The following day was slow to start but was not completely unproductive. Don and I had some seal work to do, including a visit to SSB to check the pups (although by this stage it was more checking for pups that had died than pups that had been born) but a beautiful evening was spent enjoying the warm sunshine sitting outside.

The slowing down of the work at SSB that had kept me busy since my arrival, and limited my excursions from the extended area of the base, meant that there was more time to get up the hills and see a bit more of the island. I spent two magical days out with the albatross team, Robbo and Derren, marking the nests of the wandering albatrosses, that began to return during December and that by now are mostly paired up and sitting on eggs. I love the seal work, but the bird boys have a wonderful job, getting so close to such beautiful, fascinating birds, some of which have been studied on Bird Island since the 1960s and continue to return to breed. The numbers of wandering albatrosses breeding on Bird Island has declined by almost half since the early days of research here, largely due to the birds taking the bait deployed by long-lining fishing boats, targeting valuable Southern Ocean fish. This unwanted bycatch is having a catastrophic effect on the bird numbers – all too frequently we are contacted by the British Trust for Ornithology, to say that one of our albatrosses ringed on Bird Island, has been caught by a fishing boat in the Southern Ocean. Bearing in mind, these are the ones that we are notified about – so many must go unaccounted for, and be discarded overboard in the hope that no one will find out. The well-regulated fishery around South Georgia has implemented very simple but effective measures that have reduced albatross bycatch to almost zero, however the birds do not know political and fishing limits, and are wide-ranging, routinely circumnavigating the globe in search of food, mainly squid. This means they are susceptible to being caught and drowned by fishing far further afield than South Georgia waters, where the fishing industry is not as well regulated. This problem must be stopped before we lose another species to our thoughtless actions.

Another problem that we encounter from time to time on Bird Island is that of seals entangled in man-made debris. Most of this rubbish comes off of ships, thoughtlessly discarded, in the form of packing bands and loops of rope. Some become caught round the neck of seals, and if tight enough this can remain in place to become a strangling noose or collar, which can, if tight enough, cut through into the skin and flesh of the animal. We try and remove all entanglements that we come across, yet this is another occurrence that would be so much more simple to reduce by more considerate disposal of waste at sea. So far since my arrival we have disentangled three seals, although these are the lucky ones, and countless more must die before they can be helped.

We had a sad occasion shortly before Christmas, when Robbo found an adult wandering albatross that had died after crash-landing in a stream on the island. The good news, if any can come of it, is that the bird will be returned to the UK to be stuffed at the end of the season, and will be put on display at the Kelvingrove Museum in Glasgow. Not only is it a magnificent specimen of an adult bird, it has a lot of history behind it. It was ringed as an adult in 1983, which means it must have been at least 25 years old, but probably closer to 30. I will try and remember to post a reminder when the bird is on display, as it is hard to imagine an 11ft+ wingspan without actually seeing it.

We have been blessed with some beautiful weather thus far in January, enabling us to get out and enjoy Bird Island at its summery finest. Although the air temperature rarely gets above 6°C the strong sun here can make it feel quite balmy. We had a lovely barbecue outside, surrounded by seal pups and scavenging skuas, and took a walk one evening to admire the sunset from the summit of Tonk Peak, above the base to the west. Interspersed with some fine, settled days, we've had our fair share of stormy weather too, not least on Boxing Day, when we were battered by strong southerly winds gusting 60kts, or 65mph. This drove a lot of kelp (sea weed) into Jordan Cove, making it difficult for the boat from Fishery Patrol Vessel Pharos SG to get into our jetty to drop off Ewan and Helen! The cold and comparatively dry landscape that greeted us on our arrival at the beginning of November has been replaced by largely boggy terrain, although a couple of days of dry weather, when combined with a fresh breeze, and the tussac dries out somewhat – there will however always be muddy puddles and wallows where the seals can get to! The growth of the young tussac grass has given the island a green shimmer, especially on bright days, when the adult wandering albatrosses, with their brilliant white plumage, stand out clearly against the dark green backdrop.

Visit http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/living_and_working/diaries/bird_island/2007/11/index.php to see the web diary on the BAS website that i wrote for November 2007

13.12.2007 - In the middle of the seal assistants busiest period...

2007-12-13T14:57:00.000-08:00

Wandering albatross adult (with giant petrel behind) in North Valley

Skua on nest

Me at the top of Bandersnatch, with a snowy La Roche behind

Tussac grass meadows, and the white spots are adult wandering albatrosses, returning to breed

St Andrews Day, Bird Island style

The imposing North Cliffs of Bird Island

The Special Study Beach

The view to the southwest from the top of Bandersnatch...

...and the view to the northeast, with South Georgia in the background

The beach begins to fill with seals

It is now over a month since I arrived, but the time has flown by. Looking back, however, life on Bird Island has been so busy, and so much has happened in the five weeks since stepping off the JCR and first setting foot on the jetty. The beach in front of the base, which only a month ago had a scattering of young male fur seals staking out their territories for the coming breeding season, is now an ocean of seals, a constantly changing carpet of animals ranging from the smallest pups only hours old, to the large males with their extensive harems of ladies. For some of these males, this will be their last breeding season. Already, some of the older ones have held their last harem, such is the stress of defending territory for weeks on end, and they die in the stream that runs down the middle of the beach, which, as is not counted as territory, is relatively peaceful and free from attack from the other defensive males. The giant petrels and skuas do not allow much of a chance to die peacefully, and often start attacking the most easily accessible orifice as soon as they sense weakness in the animals. It is a sad demise for these beautiful animals, which arrive in early November in such fine condition, but become noticeably thin and worn out, and often severely wounded after weeks of not feeding, indeed barely moving, except to court females and aggressively defend their territories.

On the other hand, their successors are being born in their droves! The beach has filled, from the shoreline backwards, with female seals, and after a day or so, they give birth to small (usually) black pups. The little ones are feisty almost from the moment they are born, very quickly assuming the knowledge required to use their teeth as a weapon in self-defence, and a threatening but unconvincing growl! The peak pupping date usually falls between December 5^th and 15^thso this period is probably the busiest time of the year for the seal assistants. The morning session at SSB, beginning at 09:00 lasts four or five hours currently, and then we return again at 17:00 for two or three more hours. This leaves little time for recreation, what with other science work and base duties. However things will calm down early in the New Year, and Donald and I may even be allowed a lie-in!

The noise outside the base at present is comparable to the sound of the main campsite at T in the Park. If you are unfamiliar with this, imagine the sound of 50,000 Scottish nutters, on the back of a weekend of rock ‘n’ roll music and a few pints too many of lager, complete with whistles, screams and squeals, in a squelchy muddy field. It’s not dissimilar to this both in volume and substance.

Unfortunately my birthday falls in this intensely busy period. This time last year, on my 22^nd birthday I remember being in St Andrews, celebrating with friends but at the same time puzzling as to what the future held. My 23^rd birthday could not have been more different. There was no real change to the daily routine of late, with an early start and SSB both in the morning and evening, but the folk on base made a great effort to celebrate as much as was possible under the circumstances. I was given a framed photograph of a fur seal, signed by all on base, a knitted fur seal (bit of a theme here!) and a wonderful cake, and we all had a few drinks. But the big party will have to wait until Don and I don’t have to be on the beach for nine o’clock every morning! I was very fortunate to be able to share my birthday celebrations with over thirty new seal pups on SSB!

The weather has remained extremely changeable, and when it rains in the morning we often have a hint of sun in the evening, sometimes the skies clear and we are blessed with beautiful sunsets... although more often than not, the next day starts as manky and grey as the previous!

More updates will follow in due course, but with the hectic schedule and long days at the moment it is proving rather challenging to update as often as I would like! In the meantime, keep your eyes peeled for the Gordonstoun Association magazine for an article about my job, and listen to BBC Radio Five Live at 0830hrs on Christmas Day for a live telephone interview about people celebrating Christmas in remote places!

20.11.2007 - Antarctic Fur Seals

2007-11-20T10:13:00.001-08:00

Male and little pup

The best toilet in the world!

A wounded king penguin

Fur seals on Freshwater Beach, outside the Bird Island hut

Gentoo with a nasty injury

Fur seal makes a nest on top of the oil drums

Gentoo penguins breeding outside the kitchen door

Male fur seal on the walkway to the jetty

Giant petrels demolish a dead female fur seal

Male fur seals fighting for territory on the beach

The first pup arrived on the seal study beach sometime this morning before 09:00. When Don and I arrived at the beach, the pup was still damp, although had been with its mother long enough to be cleaned up and bond a bit. From now until the first week of January, we will be busy at SSB twice a day, at 09:00 and at 17:00, with barely time for lunch inbetween! The peak date of births is around December 8th-10th and by Christmas day the majority of the puppies will have arrived, with only a few late ones still to come. By then the aggressive males will have started to calm down: those that make it through the intense breeding season will be returning to the sea, in some cases after a month fighting for territory on the beach - those that don't make it will be cleaned up by the scavenging birds before long.

A bit about the fur seals that I work with: the Antarctic fur seal (Arctocephalus gazella) is a large species of 'eared seal'- different from the 'true seals' such as common seals and grey seals resident in the UK - of which 95% of the world population breeds on South Georgia, believed to be the densest population of marine mammals anywhere in the world. It is thought that there are between 2 and 4 million Antarctic fur seals worldwide. From near extinction due to exploitation by humans in the early 20th Century, they are now protected under the Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Seals and have recovered to become one of the most numerous seal species. The aggressive males weigh up to 200kg, but the females are much smaller, around 40kg. The pups are only around 4kg when they are born. Because of their aggressive lifestyle, males live until they're around 15 years old, whereas females can live until 25. They feed mostly on krill, fish and cephalopod molluscs (such as squid).

On Bird Island there is such a dense breeding population that the younger, less dominant animals are forced up the hills from the beaches into the tussock grass, where they turn the tussock meadows into a muddy bog. There has been some call for a cull of the animals, because they are in fact colonising so high up the hills that they are encroaching on the nesting sites of some of the albatrosses and damaging the vegetation.

My work is contributing to a data set that stretches back many years, looking at population trends, what the animals are eating, where they go to forage and how long they spend there. This summer season, I am learning the ropes from Donald, so we are working together.

Moving around the island at this time of year is a bit like a giant game of chess: you have to strategically plan your move through the tussock and between fur seals. But you also have to think ahead, because, for example, if you dash swiftly between two growling males, you have to be sure you're running into a safe area, otherwise you could be trapped on all sides by the gnashing of teeth - check mate!

Away from the work side of things - we had a barbecue last Friday, in the company of around thirty skuas, desperate to get their hands on a piece of meat. Yesterday we serviced one of the John Deere diesel generators that supply our electricity on base, again putting into use skills I learned during the pre-deployment training in the UK.

The weather has turned more 'summery' lately: unfortunately that means more rain, although the conditions are so changable, that even if raining in the morning, it may be sunny come the afternoon. Today the wind reverted to the South, so we've had snow flurries interspersed with bright spells. The icey ground has begun to soften after the recent rain, so there are more and more bogs between the tussock grass to fall into.

12.11.2007 - Week One

2007-11-12T16:50:00.000-08:00

Part of 'Big Mac' macaroni penguin colony

Fur seal mother and pup, gentoo penguin, giant petrel, skuas and many male fur seals

The first mother and newborn pup...

...not so cute when they grow into this!

A grey-headed albatross

An adult wandering albatross

A soon-to-fledge wandering albatross chick practising take-off

Young wandering albatross

Parent feeds chick

Bird Island is the most amazing place. One week after my arrival and the settling-in process is well underway. In this short time I have managed to get out and see a lot of the island - not exploring in depth though, as I have over two years to do that. Although the seal work has begun, with daily trips to SSB and other jobs to be sorted out before the females and their new pups arrive and the beaches become nearly unpassable, I have managed to get out to assist with both the albatross and penguin fieldwork, allowing me not only to explore the island further, but to get close to more of the amazing wildlife.

Life on base is fun and sociable. There are eight of us currently, one person is the cook each day, and prepares the evening meal and makes bread. Everyone is busy during the day with their various jobs - currently I am shadowing Donald, the outgoing seal man, learning all the tricks of the trade, as next year I will be doing it by myself. The albatross team, Robin and Derren, are also doing their handover, and Fabrice, the penguin researcher, is going about his daily routine alone, as he will be handing over to a replacement next year. Rob the plumber/general technician is constantly busy with the upkeep of the base, and John the Base Commander, also new in the job, has copious administrative tasks to fill his time, but still finds the time to get out and assist the scientists most days. Claire, a visiting scientist from Cambridge, is trying to fit in as much as possible - both her own work, and finding out what the others all do on Bird Island. All the new folk are starting to get to grips with the routine, and our ability to travel through waist-deep tussock grass on steep terrain is improving daily!

The first female fur seal was spotted on November 10th, and her pup, the first one of the year, was born the day after. The wandering albatross chicks, after the best part of a year on the nest, are stretching their wings ready for their first flight, and the penguins, smaller albatrosses/mollymauks and petrels are sitting on eggs, guarding them stubbornly from the skuas.

The weather is still cold by night, and not much warmer during the day. We have had flurries of snow nearly every day, although it usually comes to nothing, with the strong spring sunshine that we have seen from time to time. We have been blessed with some very fine, dry weather, although this, I am told, is atypical of Bird Island: drizzle and mist is more common, especially at this time of year.

05.11.2007 - First Impressions

2007-11-05T14:43:00.000-08:00

En route to Bird Island in the cargo tender, I saw the place from an angle that is rarely seen in photographs: from the eastern end, looking up from sea level. Many photos show the base and La Roche (the highest peak at 356m above sea level) as viewed from the top of Tonk (a peak to the west of Jordan Cove), or the view towards the South Georgia mainland from the top of La Roche. This provided a different perspective, and, although in reality 4.8km by 0.8km really isn't that big, you can fit a lot into an island this size.

On arrival at the jetty, the smell of fur seals was immediately noticeable - I suppose if pushed I will admit it is an unpleasant smell, but not unbearable - perhaps as the concentrations of seals on the beach increases the smell will overwhelm, however by then I should be getting used to it!

Male fur seals are beautiful animals, especially at this time of year when they come ashore in excellent condition, well-fed and ready to fight for territory on the beaches. But they are very aggressive, and will attack invaders into their territories, otarine or human! They make an almost pathetic-sounding whimpering noise, but growl when directly threatened, or when seeing off another male seal, and bear their sharp, yellow furry teeth!

There is a small gentoo penguin colony very near to the base, and one large elephant seal is occupying a not insignificant space near the shoreline, although he is lacking the harem of females that a successful 'beachmaster' should have!

The walk to the Special Study Beach (SSB) where I will spend many hours over the next few months learning the ropes from Donald, my predecessor, follows a route through tussock grass littered with fur seals, down a steep, slippery rocky slope onto a large scaffolding gantry. The beach itself is about the size of a tennis court, and although this morning there were only a handful of males staking out territories, come the middle of December it will be packed with around 600 seals: males, females, and their newly born pups. My priority is continuing a long term monitoring project, which has been carried out at SSB for many years, so some seals are well-known to the seal science visitors to Bird Island, returning year after year.

The island is beautiful. Today was windy and overcast, and bitterly cold, but the wildlife is everywhere: albatrosses throng the hills surrounding the base, seals litter the beach, skuas, sheathbills, South Georgia pintails and giant petrels patrol the beach looking for dead, dying, or parts of animals upon which to feed. Out in the bay, an iceberg, probably originating on the Antarctic continent 1000 miles to the South, has grounded and begun to break up, and fragments of brash ice are scattered on the shoreline.

Inside the base is warm, comfortable, with all mod cons that one would expect in a first class scientific research facility, and more! The food stores are now filled with provisions to last the best part of a year (there is some facility to supplement what we have from further ship visits) and new toys, gadgets and scientific equipment sent down from Cambridge are being discovered by the base members! Bird Island was once the 'runt' of the BAS bases, however following a complete rebuild finishing in 2005 it is now extremely comfortable and warm, and as I sit here in the office, it would be hard to know that I am on a tiny island in the Southern Ocean... if it wasn't for the sound of fur seals directly outside the window!

04.11.2007 - Arrival at Bird Island

2007-11-05T09:36:00.000-08:00

First view of the island

Me and my new home

The cargo tender and the snowy slopes of Bird Island

Waving goodbye to folks on the JCR

The JCR is left behind, (mainland South Georgia beyond)

En route to Bird Island from the JCR

A small berg breaks up in Jordan Cove

Freshwater Bay and the buildings of the base

The passage from King Edward Point, South Georgia, to Bird Island overnight was relatively uneventful, as we had an early start to resupply the base and bring the wintering Fids/dental patients aboard. I was put to work as 'dental nurse' for Burjor, as he checked out the Bird Island lads as they came aboard. I hope poor Fabrice forgives me, as his introduction to one of the lads he will be wintering with next year was me, armed with a lignocaine-filled needle!

For the last time for some while, I left the ship yesterday at around 1400hrs. The journey to Bird Island on the cargo tender took longer than would be ideal, because of the strong southerly winds, which rendered the southern anchorage (a much shorter distance from the jetty) unworkable. It was sad to depart the ship, after what had been a varied and highly enjoyable cruise. However since being appointed to this job at the end of April, I have been itching to set foot on Bird Island, my home for two winters and three summers. Now I was to have my chance.

On arrival there was no opportunity to check out the accommodation, to find my feet or to explore the island - instead, all hands were involved in the relief of the base, unloading all the cargo that was being delivered, along with new personnel, from the UK.

Box after box of science kit, food, basic living consumables such as toothpaste and loo roll, and beer, were unloaded from the cargo tender, and Fids from the ship were brought in to help out. The last cargo tender returned to the James Clark Ross, leaving behind a couple of visitors to help continue the unpacking, and I enjoyed my first night with new friends on Bird Island.

2.11.2007 - King Edward Point

2007-11-03T03:29:00.000-07:00

Arrival at KEP

Ewan and Burjor in dentistry mode

Scale and polish, ma'am?

At 0800hrs this morning we pulled alongside at a bitterly cold and snowy King Edward Point, on the island of South Georgia. KEP is the newest of the British Antarctic Survey's scientific bases which is primarily involved in fisheries research on behalf of the Government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. Situated in a sheltered cove in Cumberland Bay, King Edward Point and its near neighbour, the abandoned whaling station at Grytviken, often benefits from a pleasant microclimate, which sometimes results in the cove being bathed in calm sunshine whilst the rest of South Georgia is buffeted by strong winds, or lies smothered in low cloud or fog.

Not so today. We awoke to find three inches of snow on the deck, and the inhabitants of KEP had emerged from the warmth of the base to greet us clad in full arctic gear. The plan for the day was to unload the cargo transported on the RRS James Clark Ross from the UK, including food and the beer order, for the following year. Many of the team went to work on this, but my task was to put into use one of the many skills picked up in training that I hoped I would never need to use - I was to assist the dentist on his post-winter checkup of all base personnel!

When visiting the dentist (not an enjoyable experience for many people), the last thing that you want is to be introduced to someone describing themselves as a seal fieldworker, to then find out that this person would be carrying out some of the treatment. The ship's dentist was always on hand to supervise his assistants, but much of the work was carried out by myself and the doctor from KEP, Rachel, who although one of the medical profession had only as much dentistry experience as me!

After seeing to all the patients, it was time get out and enjoy the afternoon. After the persistent snow and wind of the morning, South Georgia had become a beautiful winter paradise. A couple of us took a walk around the cove, sticking from the snow-free beaches as much as possible, but sometimes having to turn inland to avoid large harems of elephant seals, and fur seals staking out territories in the tussock grass. The sun is strong at this time of the year, especially with the depleted ozone in this region, so copious sunscreen was applied. The deep fresh snow made walking arduous, but the weather was glorious and we made the most of the time we had to explore the area.

On our return, once the sun had disappeared behind the mountains and the snow had started to firm up as the temperature dropped, we enjoyed a somewhat surreal barbecue: with both those from the ship and KEP residents together, all dressed in as many layers as one could wear and with the chorus of elephant seals on the beach by the base providing the soundtrack, until it was too cold to remain outside any longer!

31.10.2007 - At sea

2007-10-31T17:28:00.000-07:00

We continue our passage towards South Georgia. The air (and sea) temperature is noticeably cooler now that we are south of the Antarctic convergence/polar front. As of 21.30hrs local time we are around 30 NM to the west of Shag Rocks, the westernmost limit of the British overseas territory of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (see Wikipedia for more information). At 05.00hrs tomorrow we are recovering a buoy that has been recording whale vocalisations for several months near to Shag Rocks, as it is one of the places you are most likely to spot cetaceans (whales and dolphins) on this voyage, so at this point I plan to be awake for that...!
The plan (weather dependent) is to visit King Edward Point on Friday, stay overnight and arrive at Bird Island on Sunday. It will be nice to see some of the rest of South Georgia and to go for a walk around KEP. Grytviken whaling station (near to KEP) is the site of the grave of Sir Ernest Shackleton, the Anglo-Irish explorer most famous for the Endurance expedition, who died at South Georgia in 1922.

30.10.2007 - At sea

2007-10-30T10:32:00.001-07:00

We departed Stanley at 1900hrs on Monday October 29th, on a beautiful calm evening. Once clear of the islands there was a rolling oceanic swell, but the conditions were very pleasant. A few ginger beers later (ginger is good for seasickness) and it was bedtime.

The morning of Tuesday October 30th was again beautiful - wall to wall warm sunshine and a light breeze from the starboard quarter. We have beautiful wandering and black-browed albatroses, giant petrels and cape pigeons/cape petrels/pintados wheeling around behind the ship, but no whale sightings as yet.

29.10.2007 - Last day in Stanley, FI

2007-10-29T12:45:00.000-07:00

After a relaxing few days in the Falkland Islands, and seeing the sights of Stanley in particular, RRS James Clark Ross is due to sail this evening at 1900hrs, heading firstly for King Edward Point/Grytviken on the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia. This marks the end of an interesting visit to the Falklands, during which we have truly experienced the proverbial 'four seasons in a day', having seen everything from wall-to-wall sunshine to horizontal hail, sleet and snow. One is ill-advised to leave the ship to walk to Stanley (about a mile) without full wet weather gear, because even if the weather is fine upon leaving, doubtless it will rain before long. The sight and sound of Land Rovers and of hailstones the size of large garden peas rattling off the tin roofs of Stanley will endure in my mind as memories of 'civilisation' in the Falklands, as we depart for the isolation of South Georgia and Bird Island, my home for the next thirty months.

Time in Stanley has been spent walking, visiting the tourist sights in and around the town, chatting to the natives and enjoying the local hostelries, such as The Globe and The Victory Inn. I found time to catch up with Darren Christie, an old friend from school who works in Stanley for the Government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands on invasive species and biosecurity measures, and with Issac Forster, one of my predecessors on Bird Island.

But now the time has come to leave, as the engineers have arrived from the UK to solve the issues with the ships engine management system, and all should be in order by this evening. It is expected that passage to South Georgia will take in the region of 72 hours, assuming reasonable weather (reasonable, considering we are traversing one of the roughest oceans on Earth) and no further changes to itinerary.The weather forecasts on the bridge indicate we may be in for a lumpy ride!

Above are a few images from our time in the Falklands, and some of the other Fids which whom I have been travelling.

26.10.2007 - Falkland Islands

2007-10-27T05:16:00.000-07:00

I arrived in Stanley with about 25 other southbound BAS personnel (known as Fids, after the original name for BAS - Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey) on Wednesday afternoon. The flight was long and pleasantly uneventful in a clapped-out DC-10, punctuated by about an hour and a half in the warm rain at Ascension Island - just enough time to have a coffee and get a passport stamp! The approach to RAF Mount Pleasant was stunning - a lovely clear day greeted us in the Falkland Islands, with a cracking view across all the islands as we came in to land. RRS James Clark Ross (the BAS ship upon which I would be transported to Bird Island) had arrived in Stanley the night before, so we were straight on to the ship rather than a night or two in the Upland Goose Hotel. From the berth at FIPASS (Falkland Interim Port and Storage System) it was a 25-minute walk into the centre of Port Stanley. On Thursday morning a number of us took a walk into town, and got soaked by the torrential rain that started just after leaving the ship with full confidence that it was going to stay dry...

We are going to be here in Stanley until probably Monday, whilst we wait on the arrival of an engineer to arrive to carry out some maintenance on the ship. Which means, we've got plenty time to see the sights. Yesterday a group of us visited Volunteer Point, a two-hour ride on a Land Rover (mostly offroad) to see the king penguins, and Thursday afternoon we walked out to Gypsy Cove to see the Magellanic penguins and other nesting birds, near to the beautiful but (believed to be) heavily mined beach, a sad remnant of the conflict here 25 years ago.

Although some of the Fids returning South for the nth time aren't too excited at the prospect of yet another few days in Stanley, for us first-timers it is nice to have some time off, a short holiday before getting stuck in to our assorted jobs either on the ship or on base. Assuming we depart on Monday, from then on its fairly weather dependent - we may go straight to Bird Island if they get a weather window, or carry out a planned science cruise first, before attempting to get ashore at BI, or possibly (and the most favourable option for me) go to King Edward Point on South Georgia first, before going back up to Bird Island, allowing us to see a bit more of the area than just the wee rock upon which I'll reside for 29ish months!

Life on the ship thus far is fun - the crew are friendly and the food is good and there'll be plenty things to do or not to do, whether I decide to take it as a holiday and just watch from the deck for birds and whales, or help out with the science cruise.

26.10.2007 - Welcome!

2007-10-27T04:57:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my blog, which I hope to update regularly with photographs and stories of my time on Bird Island, South Georgia, in the South Atlantic.

The address of this blog, Arctocephalus, refers to the scientific name (genus) of the Antarctic fur seal, the animals with which I will be closely working whilst on Bird Island. Although I will doubtless be involved with fieldwork concerning the other species, the majority of my work will be with fur seals (Arctocephalus gazella).

Bird Island is situated some 800 miles to the east of the Falkland Islands, part of the South Georgia archipelago. It is a wildlife haven, with around 60,000 breeding fur seals, as well as numerous macaroni penguins and several albatross species.

I work for the British Antarctic Survey (based in Cambridge, UK) as a Zoological Field Assistant.