16 Dec, 2008

Even a midsummer blizzard doesn't deter these Antarctic birds from their breeding-season activities.

What an evening! We lost all feeling in our hands and feet and are feeling shooting pains as the blood starts flowing again.

We've been on land at Port Lockroy, a British base on the Antarctic Peninsula. Crew member Pierre Minnie and I were dropped off on an island next to the base which has a fairly large colony of gentoo penguins (Pygoscelis papua), interspersed with Antarctic shags (Phalacrocorax bransfieldensis). The shadows of the ever-watchful predatory skuas are frequent as they glide overhead.

We got off on a rock covered in ice and struggled a little way up the slope in deep snow. What a summer! We seem to be having winter except with light. Apparently at this time of year these islands are usually mostly free of snow, but we were in at least a metre (3ft) of it. And then the weather turned once again. We were hit with a blizzard.

As we sat watching the gentoos sitting on their stony nests or nicking pebbles from each other, the snow came thick and fast against our backs and the wind picked up, driving it ever faster and more horizontal. We soon got very cold.

But the penguins seemed immune to it. Beaks into the driving wind, they didn't budge from their egg duty, or else, if on pebble duty, leaned in the wind and carried on regardless.

Their circulatory system must be unbelievably effective to keep their feet from freezing. We were definitely suffering, despite our down jackets, thermals and gloves. Apparently the blood vessels in penguins' legs are close to each other so that the warm blood being pumped to the feet and the cooler blood returning from the feet moderate each other's temperature and there is not much heat loss from the feet.

Many places on the peninsula have seen a dramatic loss of ice with the average mid-winter temperature increasing by 6°C (43°F) since 1950. This is the highest rate of warming on the planet – five times the global average. It bodes ill for the wildlife here. We're not seeing evidence of warming on this trip, but the weather is unusual and very cold breeding seasons may result in a reduced number of chicks this year.

However, the adults appeared particularly nonchalant in this blizzard. We were picked up again after two hours. It was 22:30pm but the sun was still high in the sky.

And as I stepped into the Zodiac boat I watched as penguins relentlessly went in search of pebbles or disappeared into the icy water in search of crustaceans and small fish, apparently ready to keep going through the light night.

– by Vanessa Stephen, Earth-Touch crew © Earth-Touch

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