Penguins at Play

HUT POINT, McMURDO STATION, ANTARCTICA

A quiet, still evening presented the perfect opportunity to stroll down to hut point and sit along the edge, watching the few Adelie penguins that had gathered. Three played noisily along the Big John crack, growing ever wider by the day. 

Though at this point in my Antarctic life, I have seen numerous penguins, I had never actually seen penguins in the water, except for one occasion from the seat of a helicopter, and that was from quite some distance.  

These Adelies swam from hole to hole, swimming under the ice bridges, and popping up into the air, flying just over the surface of the water. While the three who played along the crack were constantly in and out of the water, and seemed to be bickering about the merits of each (it is impossible not to attribute human characteristics to these birds!), the dozen or so swimmers were more content to swim from pool to pool. 

The clear skies and beaming sun made for a warm evening, and it was altogether pleasant to sit on the rocky shore and watch the penguins play. We watched for nearly an hour, before the troupe popped out of the water, apparently done with swimming for the timebeing. 

This skua watched from his icey perch. Grown Adelies are too large to be prey for this mighty gull, and far too nimble in the water to be caught by a skua.