Summer Returns to Mawson (part 2 of 7)
Friday March 23rd 2001

Along with the Skuas are the Snow Petrels, or snowys. These birds are one of my favourite because of their excellent flying ability and their brilliantly white feathers with a jet black beak and eyes. They are curious birds and if they spot you walking down below they will fly over, circle around you a couple of times then fly off just as fast as they came. They nest in gaps in the rocks on the islands along the coast, or inland high on the mountains and during the peak of summer they can be seen circling the peaks of mountains and diving and darting into cracks in the rock. The snowys call is a sharp rasping sound. In the mountains behind Mawson there are so many nests high on the slopes all that you can hear is a cacophony of shrieks and calls echoing off the rock faces.

a pair of snow petrels inspecting a potential nest site.

Snow petrels are marvellous fliers. While climbing in the mountains behind Mawson I was standing on a peak with a sheer cliff face on either side. High above I spotted a snowy diving towards me, and as it approached I could hear the sound of the wind roaring over its feathers. It zoomed past no more than 2 metres away and continued down the cliff face almost in free fall. The sound it made as it flew past was like the roar of a jet fighter, quite unlike anything else I have ever heard.

A snowy circles, inspecting me, the visitor, before flying off.

During the snow breeding season large flocks can be seen resting on the snow and rocks. I had normally considered snowys to be individuals, but on a trip to Colbeck I saw a large flock of them flying around the icebergs at the base of the islands.

A flock of Snow Petrels about to settle on the snow.

Email continues in part 3