Palmer Station Penguin Cam
Yesterday we visited Torgersen Island, the site of the penguin cam that I had been following from home. I wasn’t sure that this would be a place that we would see, but luckily we came here and were allowed to go ashore. The island is home to an Adelie colony. Many have left for the season, but we saw some remaining birds. Adult Adelies have a white eye ring that make them look somewhat demented. We also saw a lone Chinstrap in the molting phase.
The cam is maintained by the scientists at Palmer Station, one of the three US bases in Antarctica. The base is funded and run by the National Science Foundation, so their focus is on scientific research. We got a tour of the base, and spoke to a number of people who are doing phytoplankton research, which was interesting since we are helping collect phytoplankton as citizen scientists. I was surprised that some of the people doing research are undergrads. How great that they are getting this opportunity. After our tour, we got to stay for dinner, an added bonus.
This morning we are at Port Lockroy, which is our last stop before heading north into the Drake Passage, on our way back to Ushuaia. I have loved my time in Antarctica, and am glad I made the decision to travel with Fede and Laura on Ocean Tramp. Being on a small sailboat has given us much more flexibility, and we have been able to experience things that would not have been even possible when on a larger ship with many passengers. In most cases, we have had the landing sites to ourselves.
Next stop, Ushuaia, which bills itself as the End of the World. I guess that means we have been beyond it.
– Mari
