Home » Antarctica » Chicks, Shags, and Merry Olde England January 10, 2004

Across a tiny inlet from Port Lockroy is Jougla Point, which had 726 breeding pairs of Gentoo penguins this season. Researchers have been studying the effects of human visitors on these birds for years now. They have a control group of penguins in a roped-off area of the island. Comparing the visited and unvisited penguins, they've found no difference and no negative effects on breeding.

Chicks, Shags, and Merry Olde England January 10, 2004

Ttrealtravels
2005-12-24 23:50:57

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Across a tiny inlet from Port Lockroy is Jougla Point, which had 726 breeding pairs of Gentoo penguins this season. Researchers have been studying the effects of human visitors on these birds for years now. They have a control group of penguins in a roped-off area of the island. Comparing the visited and unvisited penguins, they've found no difference and no negative effects on breeding.

The Gentoo chicks had begun to hatch a few days earlier. Teeny, gray, beanbag babies with open, hungry mouths snuggled under their parents.

Right alongside the penguins, several pairs of Blue-Eyed Shags (aka cormorants) nested too. The shag fledglings were much bigger, nearly full grown, but still covered in gray down. They were just as insistent as the penguin babies, but even noisier.

Both varieties of bird families screamed in protest when a skua swept disturbingly close over the nests. Skuas often prey on eggs and chicks of other birds. Skuas are not always evil, but they are often hungry.

Nearby was a nearly full whale skeleton. It was massive and sad. Beyond that, a small Weddell seal sprawled, and we got quite close without disturbing it.

Frozen in Time

Port Lockroy was the first British station on the peninsula, opened in 1944. It operated as a scientific base until 1962 and was abandoned for many years. In 1996, the building was restored to how it looked in the '40s and '50s, so it could operate as a historic site.

Three people staff the museum during the Antarctic summer in these close quarters. They also study the penguin colony that grew up when the station was closed. The museum was interesting and full of fascinating memorabilia from both the mid-century scientific efforts and the everyday life of the British residents.

The gift shop and post office were bustling. Of course, I added a few purchases, including Olle's book. I even mailed a few postcards home to our parents and cats. The mail arrived two or three weeks after we got home.

Thomas and I were on the last zodiac out, and we accompanied Lockroy's staff to our ship. They joined us for the bountiful BBQ served on deck. The air was chill and windy that evening, but the hot grills and free-flowing beer kept everyone toasty. And I have never eaten in such a gorgeous dining room, ever!