January 17, 2000

Iceberg drifting off Dream Island.

Dream Island was named by the British for its striking features which include a cave, a small seasonal waterfall, mosses and grass. The coastline is described by a series of fjords and sheltered coves whose waters are a rich viridian. Dream lies well beyond our 2-mile boating limit, and access is restricted. Bill Fraser and Donna Patterson planned to survey the avifauna population on the island--including nesting chinstrap penguins. One aspect of their work involves assessing the variability and viability of seabird colonies from year to year. Colonies are an organic proposition, with expanding and contracting numbers and geographic ranges. By observing and measuring changes in the extent of the colonies, they hope to gain a better understanding of some of the more complicated issues of population dynamics over a long period of time.

Mary Ann "Mimi" Wallace displays infertile penguin eggs retrieved from Dream Island. She will share these with her students back in Texas.

Bill and Donna offered to have us tag along, as it would be a unique recording opportunity. I had seen a few chinstraps in the area, but had not heard any vocalizing. Bill described them as sounding a bit like donkeys. I was intrigued. In a generous spirit, they also invited Charlie Petit and Jim LoScalzo who are on assignment for U.S. News and World Report, wildlife photographer, Gary Braasch, and Mary Ann "Mimi" Wallace. Mimi is a part of the Teacher Experiencing Antarctica program, from Montwood High School in El Paso, Texas. She is a science teacher working with the Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) project here at Palmer Station, focusing on time/space variability of sea-ice coverage and phytoplankton production in the West Antarctica Peninsula.

Chinstrap penguins and chicks on Dream Island.

Mimi, Steve and I teamed up in our zodiac, the media boys took another, while Bill, Donna and Erik took the "Lynns" boat. We made a stop at Humble Island so Donna could change out a couple of satellite transmitters on her giant petrels. I was happy to return to Humble after a week and a half. The Adelie chicks continue to grow at an incredible rate--they are almost the same size as the adults! A few older individuals are shedding their fluffy grey coat: their bellies are coming in with whitish plummage and their backs are a darker grey. They are beginning to gather unto themselves, in groups away from their parents--what is called crèching. The soundscape of the rookery is changing as well. Singular peeps are developing into modulated calls, as the young learn their repertoire. Mostly, we witnessed begging behaviour, with chicks chasing parents around in search of food. Bill commented that, in the case of those individuals who were being tracked, parental sorties for krill have shortened. Pretty soon the adults will head back out to sea and the chicks will be on their own. Fledging takes place in the coming month.

Chinstrap penguins and chicks, with Adelie and young in the background. Note the difference in both appearance and in the size of the chicks.

Leaving Humble, we entered Wylie Bay for the run to Dream Island. The swell picked up and we bounced along 4-5 foot waves--getting good and soaked in the process. In the distance, we could see humpback whales. Mist from their blows hung in the air like a cloud for a moment before dissipating. As we approached Dream, kelp gulls wheeled and skirled above our zodiac. Elephant seals lay hauled out, basking in the sun. Donna spotted a fur seal as well. Adelies and chinstraps porpoised to shore. Lush green mosses and orange lichens covered the rocks. The island was teeming with life. Donna had thoughtfully considered what we would need to do ahead of time and escorted Steve and me to a colony at one end of the island--where we could record away from clicking camera shutters. The chinstrap penguins occupy peripheral zones of larger Adelie rookeries. Their chicks are about 3 weeks younger than the Adelies, and the size difference is dramatic. "The chinnies that live among the Adelies seem to be more vocal that those that don't," Bill observed. He was right...

Steve Dunbar is joined by a curious visitor.

We settled in to listen. The soundscape was a cacophony of Adelies and chinstraps with kelp gulls and brown skuas passing on the wing. Occasional chortles and bellows from nearby elephant seals punctuated the scene. The chinstraps share similar behaviours with their more numerous neighbours, the Adelies. However, they differ in several respects including their most salient feature, the black line or "strap" about their necks. The chinstrap ecstatic display seems more animated in terms of neck bobbing and weaving. The vocal display appears to be somewhat shorter and at a higher register: a whinnying bray. The ratcheting wind up to the call contrasts with the Adelie. Pairs also emit a cat-like, almost hissing from the nest. It was a most unique acoustic experience!

Gentoo penguins in Loudwater Cove.

Click here to listen to an MP3 sample of a pair of chinstrap penguins engaged in an ecstatic call. Note the different cadence and register than the Adelie penguin call. (Refer to December 23, 1999 entry for a sound sample of an Adelie).

We caught up with our fellow travellers for a bite to eat: a picnic on the rocky rise by the boats. Among the resident penguin population, a lone Magellanic penguin was spotted wandering along the shore. The poor individual was far away from home; they are almost never seen this far south. After lunch, Steve and I headed back over to Loudwater Cove for a listen. The Marr Ice Piedmont had been calving and the glacier terminus looked craggy and filled with fresh, deep blue crevasses and fracture lines. I recorded a few spectacular events while Steve stood off, keeping the boat at a safe distance from some sizeable waves that were sent splashing off the walls of the cove. We saw a group of gentoo penguins--the third species that is found in this area. It was a four-penguin day and certainly one of the most memorable experiences we have had on the ice!