by: Dr. Laurie Connell
When we arrive in McMurdo Station we have to take all sorts
of training before we can go out into the field. This includes snow craft (camping in the snow
and survival training), helicopter training, sea ice training, environmental
protection training- the list goes on…As I wait in town to get my snowmobile
driver training all updated I am not allowed to drive one myself- but I can
ride on the back. Today one of the
penguin researchers gave me the chance to go out to Cape Royds with her. I jumped that the chance! Cape Royds is one of the most southern
penguin rookeries in the world. There
are Adelie penguins there and they are just now starting to arrive for the
season. Check out the website for more
information about this location and nest checks throughout the season (http://www.penguinscience.com/classroom_home.php).
Four of us ventured out and although the weather was not
clear and bright it was a great trip none the less.
I am collecting some penguin bones and skulls to mount for
display in classrooms. You need a permit
for that so not everyone can collect penguin parts (and I have one.) We got several but I’ll still need a few
more. Here is what they look like before we begin the process of getting them
ready for the classroom.
Hopefully we will be able to go back to make a bigger
collection next week and the weather will be better for photos.
On the way back we stopped at the Barnes Glacier and took a
few photos. The beautiful blue is the
real color of the glacier and the small bits of ice at the bottom make great
ice for drinks since it pops and fizzles as it melts.
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