This year there are over 300 chicks in the ANTAVIA colony, compared to less than 60 last year. It means that the year so far has been a great one for the Adélies. But also, it means a lot of work for us. All of the chicks have to be ID tagged with a … More Kissing chicks and coughing down
Young Adélies spend their time foraging at the edge of the sea ice. This year, the edge of sea ice is outside our windows. And so are the juveniles. The wind is whipping the sunbeams against my face and I can’t feel whether my cheeks are sunburnt or freezing. I think both, but I don’t … More Penguin beards and guano ponds
Some nights are like this. After running after penguins and prepping samples in the lab all day, I am finally on my way to sleep. I step out of the door and change my mind, grab my camera and spend two more hours watching it snow.
The Adélie chicks are growing fast, still fed by their parents who take turns getting food in the ocean and staying in the colony guarding them. The colony is getting more and more muddy because the snow is melting, and the penguin poo has changed, altering the colours of the colony from greyish yellow to … More Oceans of fantasy by Penguin M
If you want to know how much DNA damage you have, you will need help from kelp. Life is stressful – especially for our cells. Every time we spend energy there are things to clean up because some of our oxygen binds together, two and two. These oxygen pairs are looking for something else to … More The tale of the comet’s tail
If you were an Adélie parent, you would worry about the amount of ice. Normally at this time of year I would be spending the holidays back home in Telemark together with my family and it would get dark at 4pm. Instead, I am here, it is midnight, still light, and I am staring at … More Christmas chicks
Penguins come in many colours. I only want the green ones. And maybe some blue. We want specific penguins. So you can’t just catch any penguin that comes your way. And trust me, they will. The Adélie penguins make up the island, filling the space with their nests and the air with their odour. Walking … More All along the Antavia watchtower
It’s a very cosy base. Mostly orange buildings, bridges to walk in between them and birds everywhere. The ground is either white with snow or crammed with nesting Adélie penguins which make up most of the sound and smell, and the sky is filled with petrels and skuas. I put on way too much clothes … More The Bridges of Penguin County
After seven days at sea, we are finally here. Although, “finally” is not really appropriate since other people might spend up to three weeks stuck in the pack ice. We have been really lucky, which makes me think that the ocean might have some other plans for us on the way back in February. Among … More Dumont d’Urville
Before reaching our final destination, Dumont d’Urville, we make a detour to drop off people at the Mawson’s hut. It’s an Australian team restoring culture heritage sites, such as this special built hut in the Antarctic. The Emperor penguins run to meet them as they get down from the boat. Although I’m well aware that … More Drop off at Mawson’s hut
Field notes 