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> Chicks on the Rocks, December 31, 2005
Dena_Rosenberger
post Jan 1 2006, 04:48 AM
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Chicks on the Rocks
December 31, 2005

For those interested in things Antarctic, check out the weekly Antarctic newspaper at http://AntarcticSun.usap.gov

Hello from the Ice!
For additional Antarctic pics, check out the Gallery. Thanks to all of my friends, family, and new acquaintances that wished me a Happy New Year!

Where’s Rosenberger?
Pony Lake, Ross Island, Antarctica

So, in the last couple of days, our science group has made the decision to move operations back to Pony Lake to do the rest of our data collecting. Last week, I had written that they had decided to move to another lake since Pony Lake did not look like it would melt at all. This decision to return was made when it was seen that Pony Lake was actually melting, like it did last year, AND that the Dissolved Organic Matter (DOM) content was very high in the newly-melted water (Yippee! More penguin pictures!). With this decision, things have been very busy getting ready to set up a field camp there, since it will take about a week to pump enough water out of the lake and into 55-gallon drums to filter out the amount of DOM that they need for their experiments.

> Chris reflects on the water:
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> Penguins reflecting on the water:
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Because of the Adelie penguin rookery, this area is an Antarctic Specially Managed Area (ASMA) and you must have special permits to even be there. We had to get extra-special permits to be able to put machinery there! Because the ASMA is very strict, we must put all of our equipment a certain distance away from the rookery because they do not allow anything to disturb the nesting birds. Yesterday, Chris and Yo had to go out to Pony Lake to take some GPS readings around the lake to decide where to place the pumps and generators, and since the sea ice is unstable now, they had to go by helicopter. They happened to have an extra seat on the helo, so guess who got to tag along? Yep, yours truly. What a rush!

McMurdo from the air:
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> The Barnes Glacier from above:
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Since I didn’t really have any work to do, I wanted to photograph the penguins and see if there were any chicks since I hadn’t seen them for a month. We will be sharing Pony Lake with Dr. David Ainley, the foremost researcher on Adelie penguins in the world, and his intern Lisa Sheffield. I saw Lisa walking around in the rookery (where we are not allowed) and waited until she came down onto the lake to speak with her. She invited me to walk around with her, so in we went. Some of the penguins have two chicks, some have one, and some have none. Lisa said the birds with two chicks will probably lose one to either skuas or starvation.

> Me (sitting) talking with Lisa Sheffield (standing):
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> Hangin' with the birds:
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> Keeping an eye on things:
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> Pair bonding:
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> Two chicks are better than one!
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> Hello world! (Lisa calls this their "ET" phase because they look like ET)
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We soon met up with Dr. Ainley, and I asked him if he would explain his system for weighing the penguins. He said he had to go catch a bird to remove its GPS leg tag first, oh, and would I like to come along? Hmmm, decisions, decisions. Of course!

> Dr. Ainley fixes a wing band:
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> This GPS sensor tells Dr. Ainley where the birds go when they leave the rookery:
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After removing the GPS leg tag from one bird and resetting the armband on another, we walked back to the “weight bridge” on the edge of the colony. To set up this area, he waited until the penguins inside had made their nests, then he put a small fence around them. The fence has one opening with a gate set into it, and this gate has a small scale that the penguins must cross to enter and exit their nesting site. Over the years, he has placed a small computer chip under the skins of many of these birds, and as they cross through the gate, sensors in the gate read the chip and determine which bird it is. He can then get accurate weight measurements over time. The females weigh about 2.8 kg and the males weigh about 3.2 kg. The whole thing is powered by a solar array and a computer kept inside a small tent next to the enclosure. You can see the tent and solar arrays in the photo above where I am talking with Lisa next to the enclosure.

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> A penguin crossing the weight gate:
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They begin to lose weight at this time in their season because many of them have chicks to feed. They must walk about 60 kilometers (40 miles!) to the edge of the ice where they can dive into the open ocean to catch fish. They walk at a speed of about 2 km per hour and even slower as the sea ice that they must cross over becomes more and more rough. One of the parents makes this long walk and brings back food for the chick that they regurgitate to feed them, then the other parent makes the long walk next.

> These guys are starting the long walk to the sea:
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> Dangerous sea ice!
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The skuas are also very busy right now, both raising their own chicks and stealing unguarded penguin chicks.

Can you see the camouflaged skua chick?
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> Our chariot has arrived to take us home:
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Did you know?
Besides the “official” marathon run on the Antarctic Peninsula on the “tail” of the continent, McMurdo also has its own marathon on January 8th. One of the runners says it is like running a marathon in the sand, except that it is freezing. The runners and cross-country skiers will be running across the Ross Ice Shelf between the two airport that are used by McMurdo. The winning time in last year’s marathon was 4:14 by Lance Anderson, under strong wind conditions with blowing snow and ice. Water stations for the runners must be monitored to make sure they don’t blow away or freeze solid. Think about that, San Diego runners.

Current Conditions at McMurdo Station
Partly cloudy but nice and warm (above freezing!). A high >pressure system dominates the Ice Shelf.

Right now:
Variable light winds
Pressure: 29.280 inHg
Temperature: 34 oF/1 oC with wind chill: 28 F/ -2 C
Sunset: February 20 at 1:38 am
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Posts in this topic
Dena_Rosenberger   Chicks on the Rocks   Jan 1 2006, 04:48 AM
Guest   hi Dena, Your website continues to look great a...   Jan 2 2006, 03:20 AM
Gina Martin   HAPPY NEW YEAR, Dena! What an extreme high you...   Jan 3 2006, 12:33 AM
Sarah   It sounds like you're having a blast there...   Jan 3 2006, 01:12 AM
Dena_Rosenberger   Hi Sarah and all of my other wonderful T.A.s! ...   Jan 4 2006, 12:32 AM
megan Schilling   HELLO MS. R!!! dang it sounds like you...   Jan 3 2006, 05:08 AM
Dena_Rosenberger   Hi Megan! I AM having a blast! Stay tune...   Jan 4 2006, 12:35 AM
Megan Blakey   hey hey i bet youre sick of seeing penguins but i ...   Jan 4 2006, 12:36 AM
Megan Blakey   hey hey i bet youre sick of seeing penguins but i ...   Jan 4 2006, 12:37 AM
Chris   For your amusement :D: This latest issue of the ...   Jan 5 2006, 12:47 AM
Guest   RE: Chicks on the Rocks   Jan 5 2006, 12:56 AM
Louise Huffman   Hi Dena, I'm really enjoying your journals--m...   Jan 7 2006, 02:36 AM
Dena_Rosenberger   Hello Louise! Your name has come up a fair nu...   Jan 10 2006, 12:54 PM


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