Friday we started to count the number of breeding pairs and control the identity of individuals of the Snow Petrel and Cape Pigeon. With this work we want to be able to describe and understand population trends and dynamics. Both species breed on cliffs, snow petrels breed in deep crevasses inside the rocks, while cape pigeons build nests in open areas using small rocks. To count birds we have to climb up rock walls and search for the nests (I’m training at Carabiners -the climbing gym in New Bedford!). Then we check if the birds have laid an egg or not, and read the stainless ring ID tag around their leg. We try not to disturb the birds too much as we check the ID tags because the birds defend their nest strongly. We use a stainless stick to gently lift up on the nesting bird so we can see their underside and the leg that has the ID tag on it.  One of the birds vomited on my head and in my eyes as I took off my sunglasses to read the ring! It was not a real pleasure I should say.

I did not have a chance to take pictures because we were climbing on the rocks. I use the pictures from my last field campaign to show you a Cape pigeon and a snow petrel in their nest. If you look carefully on the cape pigeon picture (below), you will see the stainless stick that I used to look a chick (it was a chick control later in the season). Coralie kindly shared her pictures

that she took of me on the rocks. You can see some Cape Pigeons flying around the cliff. This year fewer birds laid an egg, and there is a high breeding abstention. We suspect that this is the result of the unusual weather conditions. For the same reason, Sunday we have to delay the check on southern fulmar as most of the birds have not laid an egg yet.

Saturday, we continued our checks of petrels and went to the emperor penguin colony. Chicks are now molting and leaving the colony. In the picture you may see that the colony is almost empty. It’s dark because of the remains of penguins, but you can only detect a few individuals. Some small groups of small chicks or little molted individuals are still around. Those individuals may not make it, as they are not big enough to endure the long travel to the sea and the new life in the water.

We were counting the number of dead chicks on sea ice to estimate the breeding success. Because the sea ice starts to melt, they are big swimming pools of dark and smelly water on the colony (full of penguin droppings). Sophie fell in one these smell pools

(see picture), and we laughed a lot especially because at the same moment I was telling her, “I would not go through this pass if I were you”!

The chinstrap penguin is still incubating, which is very surprising (see previous entry). The post officer did a special mail for it showing the chinstrap stealing the egg of an Adélie. We are closely following this story, in case it is actually the egg of chinstrap penguin (which I doubt). Who knows?

Finally the weather conditions are very bad since Monday, with an large  snowstorm. Birds are buried into the snow. This snow will cause many breeding failures, which is unfortunate giving the bad conditions this year. Matthieu kindly shared the pictures with me.