|
24 November 2002 |
|
One of the
tasks that has to be done twice a year is to go and visit the Taylor Glacier
Emperor Penguin rookery in the Colbeck Archipelago and do a photographic
census so that the breeding success of the colony can be monitored. The
Taylor Glacier rookery is a special place because it is one of the few
in the world where the rookery is on rock and not on sea ice, as such
the rookery is in a specially protected area (SPA) which requires a permit
to enter. So it was a privilege to be the official photographer with the
task of taking all the pictures required.
On the 24th
of November Marilyn, Andy, Lionel and myself headed out on the sea ice
to the Colbeck Archipelago, 100km to the West of Mawson. On the way we
had to navigate around a few tide crack hazards. We nearly dropped the
back cab of the Hagglunds into a tide crack, but luckily it was not wide
enough and the Hagglunds had enough momentum to continue over the other
side. The sea ice was beginning to melt out as it was quite late in the
season and we had to be careful of hidden tide cracks and weak spots in
the ice below a fresh layer of snow.
|
|
Marilyn, Andy
& Lionel survey the tide crack where the Hagglunds nearly punched
through |
|
| We
also had to make sure that the time was right to visit the Taylor Glacier
rookery so that the penguins were in the sun. We had arrived a bit to early
for this, so on the way to the rookery we stopped at Proclamation Point,
the point where Sir Douglas Mawson proclaimed the claim on what is now Australian
Antarctic Territory. |
|
Andy, Lionel,
Marilyn & myself at the Proclamation Point cairn. |
|
| In
the middle of the Colbeck Archipelago is a small island with the Colbeck
Field hut. Our secondary mission was to deliver fresh food and supplies
to the 4 geologists who had spent the last 7 weeks in the Stillwell Hills
and Oygarden group (approx 400km to the west of Mawson). Amongst the fresh
food were some recently made lamingtons which Florian and Jacqui found very
hard to resist (see below). |
|
Geologists
Florian & Jacqui munch on fresh lamingtons after 7 weeks in the field
|
|
| After
stopping at the hut, we made our way across to the Taylor Glacier where
we climbed to the required position and I commenced to take a series of
overlapping photographs with the required zoom so that all the adults and
chicks could be counted at a later date. The down on the penguin chicks
is a mid grey in colour and the snow / rock beneath them is solid to a light
grey colour. Because of this, all the census photographs are taken using
high contrast black and white film. After I had taken the montage, I took
a simple overall panorama of the colony from the ridge behind it. |
|
A Panorama
of the Taylor Glacier Emperor Penguin Rookery, with a inset view showing
the birds. |
|
A sample of
the photomontage that is used to count the penguins. |
|
| After
we returned to Mawson the next day, I developed the film and did a set of
contact prints to make sure that the mission had been a success. I also
overlaid the images and made sure that the penguins were in focus and could
be easily counted. |
|
