Tuesday 24 December 2013

Merry Chistmas

Christmas Eve

It's the day before Christmas and we have heavy snow falling outside. The penguins are mostly hunkered down, led in the snow to keep themselves and their eggs warm.
Andrew and his family are on the yacht - Andrew has spent the last couple of days filming penguins whilst I have been filming his children as they get to know the different penguin characters and explore the island. We still don't know exactly where we will be or what we will be doing tomorrow but I am excited to be here in Antarctica surrounded by penguins on the big day!

Filming is continuing to go well. I am getting increasingly excited by the prospect of chicks in just over a weeks time. I don't think I will even be able to pop indoors to eat when that all starts kicking off - I am worried I may miss the first!!! The skuas and sheathbills are getting braver day by day, predators staking out the best vantage points from which they can distract the adults in order to snaffle their eggs or chicks when they come.

The Port Lockroy team is optimistic that the overnight change in wind will bring some ships. You will all be relieved to know that regardless, I am not on cook duty tomorrow!

Since I have been here, I have borrowed a friend's idea (thanks Sophie J) to re-write the words of my favourite Christmas poem " Twas the night before Christmas" to sum up life here at Port Lockroy, particularly at this time of year - see below...

In the meantime, I (and all of Andrew's family) wish you all a truly wonderful Christmas!

Twas the Night Before...

Twas the night before Christmas here at Port Lockroy
Excitement was building, the place full of joy.
The mistletoe hung, awaiting a hunk
In Bransfield House, there is a spare bunk...
The records were playing, carols galore
The shelves were all stocked in our AHT store.
The museum was clean, artefacts in their place
The team rushed around as if in a race.
Turning off lights and the inverter too
Hoping not to stand in any sheathbill poo.
They dashed for the door, opening it wide
The team left behind the dark inside.
Outside in the cold, the penguins did call.
They knew it would soon be bedtime for all.
Each gentoo was standing like a black little gnome
As we trudged through the snow back to our home.
Down at Poo Corner, the water was flowing,
Back in the hut, all our cheeks glowing.
A gin in one hand, another to go
Happiness spread with a true Christmas glow.
The sheathbills did stare through the window with glee,
For they knew they would soon be awakening me.
We all fell asleep, waiting for St Nick
If he doesn't turn up, then he's just a @$%^
All through the night the sheathbills did clatter
Ruth really wanted to give them a batter
Dancer and prancer lived up to their name,
They are alive no more - what a shame.
Sarah slept soundly, whereas Helen awoke
She wishfully thought she had heard a bloke.
Kristy was tired from doing core
Hoping her gift was to need it no more.
Jane woke up first, full of TPMA
Wondering which ships would visit today.
Frowns all around as we pulled straws for gash
It had to be done in a bit of a dash.
Cooking is fun, or so they say.
But it could be stressful, especially today.
The schedule is checked, emails are sent
Aerial fixed, it was more than just bent.
Boat shed is full, boxes on shelves
There is hardly room for the AHT elves.
Smiling and greeting all the guests on shore
How could anyone think this job is a bore?!
Visits are over, all sit back to unwind
Looking around to see what decorations they find.
Tinsel is shining in the bright Antarctic Light
So, Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.

Merry Chistmas

Christmas Eve

It's the day before Christmas and we have heavy snow falling outside. The penguins are mostly hunkered down, led in the snow to keep themselves and their eggs warm.
Andrew and his family are on the yacht - Andrew has spent the last couple of days filming penguins whilst I have been filming his children as they get to know the different penguin characters and explore the island. We still don't know exactly where we will be or what we will be doing tomorrow but I am excited to be here in Antarctica surrounded by penguins on the big day!

Filming is continuing to go well. I am getting increasingly excited by the prospect of chicks in just over a weeks time. I don't think I will even be able to pop indoors to eat when that all starts kicking off - I am worried I may miss the first!!! The skuas and sheathbills are getting braver day by day, predators staking out the best vantage points from which they can distract the adults in order to snaffle their eggs or chicks when they come.

The Port Lockroy team is optimistic that the overnight change in wind will bring some ships. You will all be relieved to know that regardless, I am not on cook duty tomorrow!

Since I have been here, I have borrowed a friend's idea (thanks Sophie J) to re-write the words of my favourite Christmas poem " Twas the night before Christmas" to sum up life here at Port Lockroy, particularly at this time of year - see below...

In the meantime, I (and all of Andrew's family) wish you all a truly wonderful Christmas!

Twas the Night Before...

Twas the night before Christmas here at Port Lockroy
Excitement was building, the place full of joy.
The mistletoe hung, awaiting a hunk
In Bransfield House, there is a spare bunk...
The records were playing, carols galore
The shelves were all stocked in our AHT store.
The museum was clean, artifacts in their place
the team rushed around as if in a race.
Turning off lights and the inverter too
Hoping not to stand in any sheathbill poo.
They dashed for the door, opening it wide
The team left behind the dark inside.
Outside in the cold, the penguins did call.
They knew it would soon be bedtime for all.
Each gentoo was standing like a black little gnome
As we trudged through the snow back to our home.
Down at Poo Corner, the water was flowing,
Back in the hut, all our cheeks glowing.
A gin in one hand, another to go
Happiness spread with a true Christmas glow.
The sheathbills did stare through the window with glee,
For they knew they would soon be awakening me.
We all fell asleep, waiting for St Nick
If he doesn't turn up, then he's just a @$%^
All through the night the sheathbills did clatter
Ruth really wanted to give them a batter
Dancer and prancer lived up to their name,
They are alive no more - what a shame.
Sarah slept soundly, whereas Helen awoke
She wishfully thought she had heard a bloke.
Kristy was tired from doing core
Hoping her gift was to need it no more.
Jane woke up first, full of TPMA
Wondering which ships would visit today.
Frowns all around as we pulled straws for gash
It had to be done in a bit of a dash.
Cooking is fun, or so they say.
But it could be stressful, especially today.
The schedule is checked, emails are sent
Aerial fixed, it was more than just bent.
Boat shed is full, boxes on shelves
There is hardly room for the AHT elves.
Smiling and greeting all the guests on shore
How could anyone think this job is a bore?!
Visits are over, all sit back to unwind
Looking around to see what decorations they find.
Tinsel is shining in the bright Antarctic Light
So, Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.

Sunday 22 December 2013

Return of AGB

Return of AGB - 22nd December

Guess what?! The ice is back! Luckily, Andrew is now this side of it. More about that later...

Comments

Firstly, I would like to say thank you again for reading this blog and for all your comments. We have had a few questions about battery life here in the cold, which I will do my best to address. Surprisingly, the batteries have coped very well with the cool weather - we haven't had any issues with regards to them running down too quickly. We have been keeping our batteries inside the main hut or on the yacht over night (which is quite toasty) to prevent them from getting too cold. We have also been keeping them in our jacket pockets on the coldest days, which has probably helped. It is a tough environment to film in but it is worth all the challenges as our subjects are just plain awesome - penguins!! :D
There were a couple of comments about a researcher called Ruth in connection with sharks. As flattered as I am that you thought it might have been me, I must confess that anything shark-related will have involved another researcher called Ruth (yes we both found it hard to believe when we met each other, and worked in the same team at one point!).
It has also been brought to my attention that I misspelt a couple of names in my last blog - apologies to any who noticed them, particularly Darrel from Icebird and the ship, L'Austral.
Finally, I guest-blogged on the UKAHT blog last week so do check it out if you get a chance - you can follow this blog any time to find out what's going on with the AHT team here at Port Lockroy:
http://www.ukaht.org/where-we-work/port-lockroy/blog

A word from Daisy

As some of you know, Andrew has brought his family to the Antarctic to make a children's documentary. They have arrived safely and I will now hand over to Daisy to let you know how they are getting on so far...

Hello it's Daisy! So far my family and I have had the most incredible Antarctic experience, it has been two weeks since we left England, and we have already had our fair share of ups and downs.
After a long journey to get to the tip of Argentina, facing the Drake Passage, with no previous sailing experience, was just as tough as we expected. Although the weather on the crossing was surprisingly decent for the Drake, it didn't stop most people on board from experiencing a horrific amount of seasickness (especially my sister Amy, who spend the journey clutching a green bucket, that has now been christened 'chucky bucky.')
3 and a half days had passed when we reached Deception Island, a semi-active volcanic island and it was a relief to finally be on land. We were able to make a good start to filming, especially with the island being such an interesting place with so much history, and it was also good for everyone on board to have small break from sailing.
We arrived at Port Lockroy on Wednesday 18th, however because there was so much sea ice between the boat and Port Lockroy, we were unable to get to land and we spent the night trapped in the ice. The next day we were finally able to get there, and after scouting a route in the zodiac with Dave, Pelagic was able to tie up and have a look round.
The last few days has been incredible, the journey to get here has definitely been worth it, and we have been filling our days with filming and exploring the island. It has been great getting to know all the penguins and seeing my Dad at work filming them, we have all had to make some huge adjustments, all whilst having a camera in our faces. I very much look forward to spending more time at Lockroy, and although I am missing all my friends and family back at home, I think I can speak on behalf on me and the rest of my family when I say that it has, is, and will be one of the most incredible things we have done.

Sunday 15 December 2013

Time Warp

Time Warp - 14th December

Time flies here at Port Lockroy. Days are so packed, it feels as though one is many. Our concept of the fourth dimension is made more complicated with the permanent daylight that floods through our windows even at 1, 2 or 3 am. If it weren't for the ships and their schedules, it would be very easy to lose oneself entirely in PLT - Port Lockroy Time. But thankfully, we have a rough idea of the tides (thank you Alan Carroll for sending them through to us) as well as the ships to keep us in check. And yes, the ships are back! Thankfully, a northerly wind came about and drove the ice out of the bay, allowing visitors back in.

Dancer and Prancer

The annoying sheathbills (they kept me awake again last night so have been demoted from a place of goodwill in my mind for today at least) that hang outside our living room window have now been named Dancer and Prancer after Sarah opened the advent calendar yesterday and read a verse from T'was The Night Before Christmas which struck a chord, likening sheathbills to reindeer:
And then in a twinkling, I heard on the roof,
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.

Top Spot

We had a top view of a leopard seal this afternoon as it swam just off Boogie Island (one of two large rocky outcrops that are positioned off Goudier). We didn't see any penguins being consumed, although there were a few brave souls flying through the water fairly close by. The large reptilian-esque head with flaring nostrils pushed its way through the surface of the water and the beast dived before reappearing 20 or so metres away repeatedly for about half an hour. We were told by staff of L'Astral, who were visiting us at the time, that the seal came within 3 metres of the landing site. Typically, I was looking out in a different direction at that time but my own viewing experience was terrific and I hope for more as the season progresses.

Film update

Filming going ok, although the penguins are pretty much just sitting on their eggs now. I am waiting for skua and sheathbill activity to pick up - it is starting to as I guess they work out which parents-to-be are more likely to relinquish an easy meal in the form of their eggs. We have had a few snowy days, which has hampered my camera time slightly - am being super-cautious with Andrew's camera!!

Thursday 12 December 2013

Taking the highway

Taking the highway - 9th December
The highway system I have created to move around the island with camera kit has been adopted by our resident penguins. I deliberately avoided their paths when creating my own but they too are struggling with the melting snow so I am glad to have aided their passage to and from the sea, even if I now have to give way from time to time!

I think we're alone now...
The ice is back. Again. Ok, it never really went away. It seems to hover around much like a lingering cold - slightly irritating but not normally enough of a problem to affect day-to-day business until it suddenly, unexpectedly floods in. Anyway, despite being ship free and devoid of visitors beyond the penguins, we are plenty busy - the Port Lockroy gang are working through their season job list for the base and I am, of course, concentrating on the penguins. Sarah has found time to learn to knit and I have discovered that there are ingredients in mash potato beyond just potato. We have had radio contact with Darryl, the captain of Icebird, who is probably our nearest neighbour - currently sailing somewhere around the corner (read about 20 miles away) on the Peninsula. We hope he might be able to stop by Port Lockroy soon but this is dependent on changing winds and thus ice conditions.

Visiting rights
We have been lucky enough to have one visitor - an adelie, which has been hanging out at Bill's Island for a couple of days. Yesterday, it made its way back towards the Neumayer Channel over the ice. For those who are unfamiliar with the geography of Port Lockroy, the Neumayer Channel is the body of water that runs past Port Lockroy, the bay in which Goudier Island sits. The bay contains various colonies of penguins but all are gentoo so it is a pleasant surprise to receive visitors of other species. So far, we have only seen the other brush-tailed penguins (chinstraps and adelies) here but I am ever hopeful that we will get more exotic strangers to our shore...

Advent
We have an advent calendar here at Port Lockroy thanks to Kristy. It is providing a daily reminder that Christmas is approaching, for it can be hard to lose perspective of days although we keep track of the date. We have discovered a box of Christmas decorations too and will be decorating our home soon enough. I am looking forward to waking up on Christmas morning to see snow and penguins outside! The commercial Christmas buzz that I am normally subjected to (and readily embrace!) back home seems to belong to a different world to the one in which I currently live here at Port Lockroy. Conversations about Christmas shopping are replaced with concerns about whether we will be able to gather enough fresh ice at low tide to provide drinking water. It certainly makes one appreciate basic necessities - and be thankful for them.

Andrew
Andrew will be leaving Ushuaia within the next day or so to return here. I am very much looking forward to seeing him again here and hope he brings calmer weather since the wind has picked up a bit recently, which is frustrating for filming and sound recording.

Up the stick
We have an anemometer tower here on Goudier which offers great views of the island and bay. I climbed up it last night to place my Go-Pro overlooking the Nissen Hut so we could see exactly what the pesky sheathbills get up to. Sadly it has been a bit too windy to go back 'up the stick' and retrieve it so far today - doh(!) - so we will have to wait to watch back sheathbill cam...

Saturday 7 December 2013

Snow Good

Snow Good - 7th December

The snow is starting to melt here on Goudier Island, which is proving somewhat hazardous for walking around the island - particularly when carrying a lot of camera kit. It is very easy to step onto what looks like (and until now has been) firm snow, only for your foot to go down and find yourself up to waist (no exaggeration), struggling to regain firm footing. Every hole created must be filled in immediately to prevent accidentally trapping a penguin (we are being meticulous about this so thankfully we haven't come across a penguin in a hole yet). I have spent some time today creating a highway system to get to and from some main filming locations to make things easier with the camera. Unfortunately, even this is not a guaranteed safe passage as the conditions change on an hourly basis. Yesterday I discovered the snow I was filming upon near the boat shed was subsiding considerably, never a good thing when you are concentrating down the lens of a camera! In due course, I will dig out a safe rock platform from which to base myself. Despite generally warmer temperatures and sunny days, the wind is still playing havoc and blowing ice in and out of the bay. It looks beautiful and I will be sorry when we no longer have its company, although I think ships will be grateful as they keep having to alter their visiting plans at the last minute - we never quite know when someone is going to turn up or not be able to get in!

Antarctica's answer to the pigeon

I have mixed feelings about sheathbills. On the one hand, they are pretty astounding birds. As far as I am aware, they are the only birds this far south without webbed feet. They migrate in the winter to South America but spend summer breeding here, feeding on guano and penguin eggs. However, their own droppings are totally toxic - bright orangey yellow in colour and very difficult to remove from anything. They take any opportunity presented to them to get inside buildings, seemingly just to defecate, and will peck and try to steal anything left outside (even when you are standing right next to it) - including camera bags and kit! But I love the fact they bob just like pigeons and are immensely curious creatures, constantly looking in through our windows and even pecking on them as if for attention! They often hop around on one foot, leaving many visitors believing we have individuals here at Port Lockroy with only one leg despite our best attempts to explain otherwise. They are only roughly the size of a pigeon but you would think we had an invasion of people on our hands when you hear them on the roof of the Nissen Hut and Bransfield House, running up and down. Still, they keep us on our toes (much like everything else down here) and provide a source of entertainment (and cleaning work).

Tuesday 3 December 2013

Exposing Penguins

Exposing Penguins - 3rd December

"My penguins have zebras on them!" This is perhaps not a sentence you might expect to hear anywhere, let alone in the Antarctic. Unfortunately, I have banded it about far more than I would have liked today as I have struggled to fight the sunlight and successfully expose the penguins I am filming. It is very tricky to film a black and white animal in a very bright white environment. Areas of the image I am capturing that are overexposed are shown with stripes through my camera lens - these are the zebras I have referred to. It is very frustrating and I have been experimenting with all sorts of lenses and settings to try and get the perfect image. Maybe a cloud is all I need...

Egg-cellent Progress

Meanwhile, across Port Lockroy, penguins are proliferating. Every time the team move around the island, we see new eggs in the stoney nests that have been constructed so rapidly in the last couple of weeks. We even discovered one adult sitting on an egg without a nest and are exercising even more extreme caution around all penguins so as not to indadvertedly cause them to desert eggs - it only takes a matter of seconds for a wily skua or sheathbill to swoop and destroy.

Fit for a Fid

One of the many fascinating books available for sale in the Port Lockroy shop is Fit for a Fid. This is an authentic BAS cookbook from 1957. After the success of Turkey Surprise, my confidence was at an all-time-high when I embraced the Fit for a Fid challenge. Flicking through the book, I was delighted to discover dishes beyond those containing penguin, shag and seal and eventually decided to attempt salmon madras as described on page 13 of the book. No substitutions allowed, only ingredients that would have been available at the time the original book was produced - dried onion, curry powder and tinned salmon as well as butter, water and rice. Half an hour of entertainment was provided for the team as I attempted to follow the instructions provided, master an oven and understand rice. The final result was gobbled down by all present and all are still standing.