Band of Emperor penguins

We see Emperor and Adelie penguins. The Emperors nest on the sea ice during the winter at two main colonies east and north of here. We see them when they are foraging near the edge of the sea ice during the summer. However, the ice edge is over 100 miles from us this year, so unfortunately, we might not get to see Emperors this year.

Adelies nest on land during the summer and there is a relatively large colony just north of here at Cape Royds. We looked for them a couple weeks ago and they had not returned yet from the sea, but hopefully they will soon. Again, the ice edge is much further out this year than last, and I do not know how that will affect the Adelie colony. That means that they have to then walk over the ice for ~20 miles to reach their nesting site. They need to nest on land because they build a nest of small pebbles to keep the egg off the ground and relatively warm. The Emperors simply hold their egg in their belly pouch of fat.

Hey guys, where are we going?

South Polar Skua

We also see Skuas, which are a common sight around the station. They are basically large seagulls and they act their part. They are the primary scavengers on the station, getting into the trash and dive bombing people with food in their hands. They are really pretty birds. Later in the season (I was so fortunate to see only 1 last year), we may also see snow petrels. They are magnificently white, small, and stealth looking.