Author: Stefan
Date: 13-03-2012
Temperature: -7C
Wind Speed: 15kts
Temp with wind chill: -19C
Sunrise: 6;51am
Sunset 9;10pm

One of the many pleasures of living on Scott Base is the proximity of some of the most amazing wildlife, just metres off our shoreline. We can often sit in the lounge with a coffee and see Weddell seals lolloping around like sausages of black and grey oil paint on a white canvas.

Stefan and a lone Adelie Penguin at Cape Evans   © AHT/ Stefan

During the ice breakout, blow holes and wider expanses of water open up between the wincing epic slabs of ice and explosions of Minkie Whale breath summon your eyes and nose to their location, breaching up through the puzzle of ice plates.

Emperor Penguin in front of Scott base  © AHT/ Giddeon

Indeed all the wildlife here has distinct and quite dramatic elements to their turning up on base. The odd Emperor Penguin can arrive with no friends, and seem to have a look in its eyes, like it wants you to shout out on a huge Antarctic tannoy (like in supermarkets) “lost Emperor Penguin, could his mother (aka his father) please make his way to the freezer section to pick him up. Please?”. All this makes you realise the epic distances the animals cover, and so so slowly.  I’m still awaiting for my first Orca sighting, but with the ice freezing over, alas, that ship/whale may have sailed.