2009-08-16

End of summer


Chipmunk!
After a week of working outside in cool and often wet weather, wearing whatever sweatshirt or fleece was currently dry, I started to forget that it really is August. But it is, which means that I'm still on the road, but not for too much longer. Recently I've been busy with all those end-of-trip kind of activities - finishing the work here, cleaning, packing up, trying to find uses for the food left in the cabinet. I'm happy to report I made brownies today! I haven't cut into them yet but I'm sure they'll be delicious ... also, for dinner tonight I am finally getting to a local restaurant I've been meaning to try. (A special treat after last night's pre-packaged frozen dinner.) All in all things are going pretty well. I am looking forward to the end of the trip, and being back home. :) I've accumulated some stuff here, and now have to figure out what goes home with me, and what to do with the rest of it.

2009-06-21

pictures!

I haven't posted for awhile - my only lame excuse is that I've been busy. One of the things that's kept me busy is working in an area with Horned Larks nesting. The horned larks are pretty cool birds and it's fun to see them at their nests. First, here is a picture of a horned lark nest with eggs:


And here's a picture of baby larks! There are three of them, although the one begging for food is definitely the most photogenic.


On a completely unrelated sidenote, can I be miffed about 'high fidelity' being on http://onceuponawin.com/? The website is self-desribed as "A Visual Collection of Epic Wins from the Past" - and is typically devoted to the 70s, 80s, and maybe the 90s. HF came out in 2000. WTF?

2009-06-01

on the road again ...


Off on another adventure, I guess you could say. Headed out to the field sites for the first time this summer - had a little company.


We saw a number of elk this week - this one was on an early morning among the willows. The snow's melting and the flowers are blooming, which means it's time to get to work. I'll try to post from time to time. Today is laundry, groceries, airing out wet tents and gear assembly.

2009-02-11

perspectives

Each research trip, each research experience, for me has been unique. This trip is no different, with new things to discover and new perspectives to consider. I mentioned before that I would be helping others out with their work for the second part of my trip, and it's been enlightening to see them in action more closely and to better understand (and appreciate!) what it is they do all day. It also allows me to see the trip through their eyes, and gain a little of their perspective.

Recently we had a farewell party for all those who are headed home soon, like me. Of course it's fun to talk with everyone over good food, drinks and dancing, even if it's not my playlist in the background. It's also fun to see what everyone is like in that environment, which is so different from our day-to-day. While many people are just what you'd expect from them at a party, others can really surprise you. I just think it's neat how different situations bring out such different sides of our personalities.

It's also fun to consider the perspectives of the animals seen down here. Their life histories are so far removed from our own, that it is hard to appreciate why those penguins leap into those heavy waves, or how the wandering albatross (see photo on right) is constantly at sea. We talk about what it would be like to be them, and each pick which life we'd want to experience ourselves. I was recently reminded that these species have typically spent as much time, or more, than we have, adapting to their environment and niche, which they specialize at so well. One cannot look down on them, but just look across, and try to appreciate something so foreign.

So, as I bid farewell to penguins, and start my return trip North, I will be thinking about the new perspectives I've gained on this trip, and what I can learn from them. I hope the trip back to Argentina and on to the States is a calm one. Whatever the weather, I will also be enjoying some simple, yummy brownies I recently acquired. :)

2009-02-06

weather

Antarctica has weather. If you ever plan to go, expect at least one day with hurricane-force winds. On each of my trips, I've had at least one day with winds above 100 mph. Naturally, we don't go out in these conditions. We hunker down and take the chance to sort through photos, get some computer work or reading done, recharge batteries (internal & electronic), swap stories, watch from windows, and whatever else you want. It's very interesting to have these days where you are generally either on stand-by or break-mode - you have some freedom to do whatever you want within set confines, though what you generally do want to be doing is unavailable. And we wait for the weather to change.

It does change, of course. I've seen what's described as four seasons in a day. Though often it's all in an afternoon. From sun to clouds to rain to snow and back to sun. Winds picking up and dying down. We've had great days and crummy days, and we do our best with whatever comes. Schedules are reworked and plans are altered. This can be a barren, windswept land - and you know it. It's awe inspiring to be and to work, even for a short time, in such a place.

One can't help but wonder at the seabirds soaring above the southern ocean. For them, these winds are home, and they may even prefer to be swept over the sea by strong gales than to float on the breeze. It's a stark contrast to our own experience with wind and weather, we who came from such tropical climes.

P.S. - I had some yummy cookies today. No brownies, but I'll take it!

2009-02-03

antarctic photography

Photography becomes a significant part of being somewhere like Antarctica. Whether documenting the experience or capturing beauty in nature, I like to take pictures. This wonderful world of ice only brings that to the surface. I sometimes feel limited by my equipment, but for the most part, what I have works. My pictures may not be ready for a magazine cover, but those close to me seem to enjoy them anyway. However, what I do miss this trip is video. On this trip, I am unable to record any 'moving pictures', and I miss very much. Because while still images can convey some of the beauty of this area, it is hard to capture the personality in still frames. (Mainly, it's the personalities of wildlife that I wish to cling to.)

For me, here, photographs risk becoming more document than art. This is where I was, this is what I saw. I am often too busy working to have the time, or even patience, to find those shots - pictures that capture amazing perspectives, personalities, or balance. Video fills some of that gap - it is a way to capture personality and experience to take home. Too bad I can't capture these in my way-too-plentiful-to-call-limited supply of pictures - the animals can truly fascinate and delight.

So, I will return to the theme of dirty chicks and give you two gentoos:



And if you want video, go check out that Gentoo escape from Orcas. If you haven't seen it, try http://failblog.org/2008/12/09/pengwin/ (If I were in that boat, I'd want to get the heck outta there, not hang around to see what the orcas did next!)

2009-02-01

going for a swim

"Swimming" in Antarctica - it does happen, in a variety of ways. Although for me, the word swim would be quite an exaggeration. I was able to visit Deception Island, which is actually a volcano. It is one of a chain of islands formed by volcanic activity related to tectonic movements along a subduction zone, where the Pacific continental plate is overrun by the Antarctic Plate. The rim of the volcano forms the island, partially covered in glaciers, with a gap in one section. This gap is "Neptune's Bellows" - our entryway to the island, which has allowed seawater to flood the collapsed caldera of the volcano. The volcano was most recently active in the late 1960s and in 1970. Before then, it was once a large whaling station, a central part of Antarctic whaling. Two scientific stations are active on Deception in the summers. Also present are the remains of other stations, destroyed to various degrees by the eruptions.

Along the outside of the Deception Island rim, chinstrap penguins nest in huge numbers. However, no penguins breed on the interior shores of Deception Island. The water at the shoreline can be extremely hot, heated by the volcano. You can sometimes see the steam rising up from the shoreline, along the thin section where water is shallow and the heat isn't diluted by the cold ocean tides. The steam is most prevalent at low tide. At Pendulum Cove, we tried the water out and went for a dip. The shallow water was quite comfotable, though the water temperature dropped quickly around a depth of 16-18 inches, quite near the shore. In essence, I waded in the waters, and sat down in shallow water to let the waves wash up over me. And now, I have truly immersed myself in the Antarctic Waters. Considering it is Superbowl Sunday, I decided to show my allegiance from this distant part of the world.

The work has gone smoothly, and the wonders of Antarctica are all around. I'm having a wonderful trip, and hope everyone at home is doing well.

2009-01-31

Penguins!

Meeting thousands of penguin chicks is such fun. They are adorable creatures, from the very young ones that are barely visible underneath the parents, to the now-molting juveniles wandering about the colony, soon to take to the sea. Each year, some penguin colonies do better than others. Some places, skuas seem to have eaten many penguin eggs. Other places, there are a lot of empty nests, or parents sitting on the eggs far later in the season than they'll be able to raise any resulting chicks. Yet there are always sites where there are plentiful chicks, who all seem fat & happy, congregating around the nest or with others in the colony. Sometimes their bellies are near white and they are easily distinguished. Other times, the chicks are coated in mud & guano, like the chinstrap penguin chick pictured to the right. No matter what, I can't get enough of their antics. Whether they are ganging up with a parent on intruders or running away from a nearby skua, they are truly a delight.

2009-01-29

the start of an antarctic day

This morning, I thought about the routines and rituals down here that are so different from home. My room is completely dark when the lights are out, and so while I sleep like a rock, I sometimes have to really convince myself to roll out of bed in the morning. If I wake up early enough, I enjoy some cocoa before breakfast. Breakfast is buffet syle here ... and so far I've been very good about avoiding the bacon, which sometimes beckons me. I generally start my days down here with oatmeal with dried fruit, eggs (scrambled or omelet, whatever's available) and more and more often, yogurt. It's so much more breakfast than I have at home - but of course, the days down here are generally quite long and very active, and we spend so much time out in the cold. It's a great start to the day, and usually there's time to sit and chat with people before we head out to work.

I'm almost done with data collection for this trip, and then I'll get to enjoy a little break - although I expect to still be put to work wherever someone is needed. By now my room smells pretty obviously like guano, and I'm hoping to be able to clean out the gear and equipment, and freshen the place up a bit in the next few days! Much though we love the smell of Antarctic summer, it would be nice not to have the smell wafting down the hall for everyone to enjoy.


It's been a great trip so far, and if you ask me, we've gotten a lot of excellent work done. We've also seen a lot, and I hope to write more about it all in the next few days. I'll close by including this photo of an iceberg I saw the other day, in honor of the snow & ice I've heard is piling up at home. =) Hope you are staying warm!

2009-01-27

back in antarctica

What an amazing place. I am doing really well, and keeping very busy! It seems like there is hardly time to keep up with everything going on here, let alone with things back home. I'm happy to report I'm doing my part to share chocolate with this corner of the world. But not with penguins ... it's probably not good for them. (Ooh, maybe we need to do a study.) The penguins continue to do well. This time of year means lots of penguin chicks running around! Well, some are running around; others are still staying pretty close to mom or dad. The photo is of a gentoo penguin and its chick. I have seen chicks ranging from about one day old to over a month old and molting into swimming feathers. This means lots of work for me. Along with the penguins, Antarctic Fur Seals & Leopard Seals abound.

Earlier this week (what day is it?) we had some rain & snow showers. Today we have had just beautiful weather. I even left off my standard layer of fleece for this morning's work, and did just fine. I think I was starting to get dehydrated yesterday, since it's so easy to forget about in this kind of climate. Now I am paying a little more attention!

I am, of course, taking lots of great pictures. Well, lots of pictures at least. My big storage memory card for my camera seems to be having a few hiccups, so I am trying to be doubly sure that everything is backed up! I just came in from the cold and am warming up with cocoa. We'll be headed back out for another round in about an hour. I hope you are all keeping warm and snug!

2009-01-24

crossing the drake

January 24
Reunited with my luggage at the last minute (that last post was not a hypothetical), all's going well down here. It's a beautifully calm day to continue South across the Drake Passage. The low winds also means few birds, which is alright with me. Much though I enjoy the birds (this morning I saw Wandering & Black-browed albatross, southern giant petrels, and for mammals, hourglass dolphins). I've felt the action of the open ocean a time or two, but mostly the day has been just fine. I'm looking forward to Antarctica. I brought some brownies with me for the trip down, but otherwise it's been other kinds of goodies - wine, cheese empanadas, and the like. Yum. It's fun to be back in this world, getting to know some more people who devote pieces of their lives to this crazy place. And now, it's time for a little reading.

2009-01-22

the joys of travel

Well, there´s nothing like traveling from one cold climate to another, via a hot one.

Today´s travel quiz:

Q: When you are traveling internationally, and your final flight is a domestic one, do you believe an airline that tells you your luggage is checked through to its final destination?

A: I still don´t know.

Well, I didn´t believe them, but in the end I trusted them. I did look for my luggage at the point of entry to the country, where you generally go through customs. But, I had very limited time before my next flight, and so I didn´t wait until all the luggage was out. I just looked at what was there & waited a few minutes, until my concern about navigating to check in for my next flight overrode my concern about the bag it was maybe 40 minutes til take off and I didn´t have a boarding pass yet, at an airport where you . After all, they had said it was checked through. Yeah, wrong choice.

The funny thing is the last time I had similar travel, the airline told me I would have to pick up my bags and re-check them, but I actually didn´t. Go figure. Maybe the Answer is - do the opposite of what the airline tells you?

2009-01-20

i leave tomorrow

I head back to the penguins tomorrow. It'll take me a few days to get down there, but I should be able to send regular updates. Not much else to say, except I can't wait to see these guys again.
(Photos: Adelie penguin on left; penguin tracks in the snow on right.)




















PS - I am still being tempted to do a last minute look-around for a new camera in the seasonal sales .... though I should consider mine perfectly fine for the job. Also, just heard a report from down south that sounds incredible. Oh, to be there again!

2009-01-09

belated pictures

Here are some pictures ....

Icy Landscape

Everything is rock and ice...

and wildlife.

Gentoo penguinAdelie penguin

I mostly saw Gentoo penguins (left), but the
Adelie penguins (above) were probably my favorite.



chinstrap penguins
snowy sheathbill Elephant Seal
Left to Right:
I also saw Chinstrap penguins, Snowy Sheathbills, and So. Elephant Seals