Shirley Island - 17th Jan 2005

Lucky me, two days later I had my second trip off station. An afternoon of penguin gazing over at Shirley Island with one of the scientists who is studying these fabulous little creatures. It was a magical day. Shirley Island is literally right in front of Casey Station. Once the sea ice breaks away however it is boat access only. Today, instead of ferrying people over and back I got to stay on shore and explore. With survival backpack on in case the weather turns and we get caught out we started off on foot. We trekked for about 4 hours, moving from rookery to rookery and still we only covered half the Island. There are 10’s of thousands of birds on this Island and at this time of year the chicks are just growing. Birds stretch as far as they eye can see. Being with a scientist is the ideal way to go as we have permission to get a little closer than you otherwise would. I have said it before, but I love these little guys, they really are fabulous. I had an amazing afternoon and once again the exhilaration lasted for days after the adventure ended. Being so close to this wilderness does the soul an amazing amount of good I have to say. The Antarctic is at peace with itself and the world and it is a very calming place to be.