Living on an Antarctic Island

The British Antarctic Survey have five permanent bases; Halley on the continent, Rothera on the Peninsula, King Edward Point on South Georgia and neighbouring Bird Island on - you guessed it - Bird Island. The fifth and smallest of the stations, Signy on Signy Island in the South Orkneys, is my home this austral summer and whilst I recommend taking a virtual tour of the station I'll do my best to describe it, and what life is like in it, as well.

Signy Station

Signy is home to a maximum of 8 people each summer - this year we have 7 in total - and the team is typically made up of 4 regular positions and up to 4 alternating roles depending on the works going on each particular season. The four regular roles are: Station Leader, Facilities Technician, Field Assistant and Zoological Field Assistant; and this year we have two Carpenters and one Visiting Scientist with us as well. There is plenty happening at Signy this year; the fieldwork is as busy as ever monitoring the penguins, seals, shags and giant petrels whilst at base there is plenty to do with the station undergoing a refurbishment with new doors, floors and paintwork and the field huts are being modified as well - Busy Times!

Back L-R: Me (Zoological Field Assiatnt), Fabrizio (Scientist studying Chinstraps), Matt (Station Leader/Carpenter), Ali (Field Assistant), Iain (Facilities Engineer), Elephant Seal (local layabout)
Front L-R: Tom (Carpenter) and Jim (Carpenter); (photo courtesy of Iain)

The base itself has changed somewhat since it was originally built in the mid-1940's. With the change from a wintering station to that of a summer only one in the late 1990's the profile of Signy has changed considerably.

Photos of the old stations in our corridor

The base itself is comfortable but smaller than my previous home of Bird Island. The main building houses our labs, offices, living room, kitchen, bootroom, bathroom and toilets, medical room, boilers and the bedrooms (invariably called bunkrooms or pit rooms).

The main building, Sørlle House, with a remnant from a, fortunately, bygone era out front - a boiler from a whaling ship dating from around the 1920's, the cetacean populations are still very much struggling and barely beginning to recover in most cases

The pit rooms are rather small but enough for us to store all our stuff. There is something strange about still using bunk beds for a team of people in their 30's to 50's but it becomes quite a usual thing when working on small, remote islands to save space.

Bunk beds - the grown-up way to sleep

Of course the wildlife is never far away, with penguins and seals often coming ashore and making it known they are here early in the morning outside the bedroom windows!

Noisy neighbours, a couple of elephant seals under my bedroom window

The kitchen is ideal for cooking the meals for a small team and there is a pantry to store some foodstuffs so that we just restock this room when needed from the main food stores in another building. This means we don't have to go outside every time we need an extra couple of eggs!

The kitchen and pantry at the end

The living room is comfortable for 7-8 people and is great for setting up the projector and watching a movie in the evenings, playing darts and generally chilling out. It also serves as our dining room with tables wheeled in and out each evening for our meal. Of course at this time of year the living room gets a seasonal upgrade!

Iiiiiiiiit's Chriiiiiiistmaaaaaaaaaaaaas!!

The other rooms all serve the purpose for which they were built very well, with refurbishment going on this year there are quite a lot of building materials about which isn't usual. But the labs, offices, bootroom and bathrooms are all very much like Bird Island, just that bit smaller but very familiar.

Bootroom, heated to dry out all our field clothing each day

Shower - looking like some sort of metal bunker!

My lab/office, and temporary home to some of the seasons building supplies

The other buildings on station are: the generator shed and RO plant room (reverse osmosis for water collection); the fuel farm (storage of our fuel for the season); haz-store (safe storage of hazardous substances, such as chemicals for scientific sampling, paints and cleaning products); and top-store where waste management is sorted, tools and equipment are stored, chippy work can be carried out and next-door all the food is stored.

The combined workshop, field equipment store and waste management area

Our store of dried food, with three large freezers and one large fridge in the next room for all our meat, vegetables, fruit, cheese, ice cream and other bits and pieces

Although quite isolated here at Signy we do get visitors! Cruise ships can schedule visits here and we have four set-up for this season, the first of which came back on the 8th December.

Our usual visitors, the elephant seals, aren't bothered about the new visitors

The Barque Europa is a very interesting way to travel the Southern Ocean with it's three masts it looks more like something out of history than current Antarctic sailing. But this is the experience the visitors pay for, and quite an experience they get! not just a tour of Antarctica but also required to help out on the ship, keeping it clean and learning the ropes - quite literally!

Barque Europa

Sometimes the best ways to travel and explore are to get fully involved with the entire experience.

For the visitors, learning to help sail means learning some of the rope systems on deck!

Of course. the highlight for the visiting ships are to come ashore, see what life is like on base, talk to our staff about what we do, how we do it and what experiences we have had; plus the inevitable shopping for souvenirs!

Visitors enjoy their shopping

It is not just the occasional visit of a cruise ship that keeps the isolated feeling to a minimum here. Communications with the outside world are very good by phone (we have a British landline!) and decent enough by the internet. But we are also in regular contact with the other stations, particularly the islands for whom the similar living conditions mean we have a lot in common. We have annual competitions with the other bases, in particular darts matches. This year we have already played, and lost to, Bird Island, a fact they will not let us forget anytime soon!

Oooone-hundreeed and eeeeiighty!! (If only!)

Life on an Antarctic Research Station can feel isolated and extreme. But when you have a great team, comfortable surroundings and incredible wildlife it very quickly feels like home! This year all 7 of us have worked on at least one BAS station before at least once, so it is all very familiar and yet very different at the same time. It is this mixture of the familiar and the new that keeps us all excited and interested to work here again!

For more great photos and information on what it is like here at Signy then check out Ali's blog as well, he is a much better photographer than I am!

Summertime!

The season is in full swing at Signy by the time we reach mid-summer and for the first time this season the sun has shown itself for nearly two full days!

With the sun shining on the huts at Gourlay the views are that much more spectacular

The Adelies were the first species to lay their eggs and as such they are at the most advanced breeding stage. The chicks are now pretty big and spill out from under the adults, although they are not yet quite big enough to be left unguarded.

One of many Adelie colonies on Signy

Spot all the fluffy chicks sticking out from under the adults!

The Adelies are great characters, the most boisterous and aggressive of the three penguin species here on Signy they can be heard calling almost continuously.

An Adelie calls and displays to its partner each time it returns to the nest

With the chicks getting that much bigger, and with the sun shining, the views we are getting of them are increasing rapidly. The peeping noises of the chicks can be heard almost as much as the calls of the adults and most of them can be seen standing up, stretching their flippers and begging for food!

Adelies lay two eggs and a number of nests are able to keep both chicks growing well

When the sun is out, the chicks are out so as to not get too hot, although some still prefer the comfort of the parents

Looking up at the sky, it's a bright new world for this chick!

Although the Adelies may be the most advanced they are by no means the only species very active at the moment. The Chinstraps are well in to incubation now and although there are a few stragglers just laying their eggs the majority will be starting to hatch in about a week's time.

Although most nests have eggs in them, that doesn't mean the nest can't be spruced up with a few new stones still!

The eggs are well incubated, even on sunny days as the air temperature and wind chill are still hovering around freezing!

It is not just the penguins that are active at this time of year. All our resident bird species are progressing with the breeding season. Our flying bird species - including: Snow Petrel, Wilson's Storm-Petrel. Antarctic Prion, Cape Petrel, Antarctic Tern, Brown Skua, Southern Giant Petrel and Snowy Sheathbill - are all now on nests with eggs to incubate. One of my favourites at the moment has to be the Snow Petrels, these strikingly beautiful birds can often be seen flying around, courting and displaying to each other.

Snow Petrel

Snow Petrels - along with Wilson's Storm-Petrels and Antarctic Prions - nest under rocks and in crevices so as to avoid the notice of predators. With Signy being such a rocky island there are so many places for them to breed that we are occasionally lucky enough to stumble across a nest site.

Often first found by the calls of the adults emanating from the rocks, Snow Petrels are now nesting for the season

All three species can be seen during the day, particularly the Snow Petrels, but they tend to be much more active at dusk and during the night when predators are less active and less likely to be able to see them coming ashore to the nest. However, there is one species that is active during the day that also nests under rock crevices; Snowy Sheathbills are more typically found near penguin colonies where there is a ready source of food available for this scavenging species.

Snowy Sheathbill

The predators that are being avoided by all these species are also busy making their own nests and incubating their own eggs. Brown Skuas are a regular sight across the island looking for anything they can predate so that they can be in full condition to raise their own chicks when the eggs hatch.

Brown Skua

Southern Giant Petrels can also predate and scavenge on the penguins and smaller petrels and prions. They are the largest flying species of bird on Signy and are still a particular favourite of mine from my time on Bird Island. Although the breeding colonies here on Signy are not visited as often as those on Bird Island we are still able to collect valuable data on the breeding success of this species each year.

A white morph Southern Giant Petrel - sometimes referred to as a 'spirit geep'

Although the birds are all busy during the summer breeding, the seals we have here are at a different stage of their life-cycle. Weddell, Elephant and Leopard Seals have all bred earlier in the year and pups have long-since been weined and gone their own ways. But that doesn't mean activity stops, in fact there are always seals about to see. Elephant Seals are a daily occurrence and they will continue to increase in numbers throughout the season. But Weddell and Leopard Seals are more infrequent sightings, particularly the Leps, and are most likely to be seen when there is ice in the bays.

Yep, this is a summer scene! Weddell Seals on ice in the bays around Signy

For the most part the seals are just ashore to sleep and relax whilst digesting their most recent meals.

A Weddell shows it's impressive teeth whilst having a yawn and a scratch!

Of the four species of seal we see on Signy (the fourth being Fur Seals - a fifth species, the Crabeater Seal, is a rarity but could also be seen if we are lucky!) the most infrequently seen is the Leopard Seal. Top predators these seals can grow up to 4 meters long and will eat penguins, skuas or anything they can get a hold of in the water or on the waters surface.

Leopard Seal

Leopard Seals are always an impressive sight, even if that is just whilst they are relaxing on the ice!

Two Leopard Seals on ice in the aptly named Hydrurga Cove (Hydrurga leptonyx is their scientific name)

With so many amazing species, and so much to see, an Antarctic summer is a very special time - even if the sun does only shine on the odd occasion!

Wonderful Weddells

Gourlay, the main study site here on Signy, is not just home to the Adelie and Chinstrap penguins but is also a popular spot for seals to haul out. We have had a Leopard Seal and regular appearances by Fur Seals, but the one I have particularly enjoyed recently are the Weddell Seals.

A Weddell chills out on the snow with a Fur Seal and Adelies on the rocks

The Weddells provide a lot of entertainment for us, despite often just lying there, as it is the reaction of the penguins wondering how best to walk around them that makes us smile.

With a seal in the way the penguins take a while to decide which way to go next

For the most part the seals are just relaxing, digesting their recent meals from out at sea, and getting some peaceful sleep.

Enjoying some warmth from the sun whilst relaxing

It's a hard life being a seal!

Occasionally they stir themselves to look around and have a bit of a scratch. But it is never long until they go back to sleep again.

Scratching away that annoying itch!

Weddells don't just appear one at a time though, sometimes there are small groups of them hanging out in a favoured spot.

5 Weddells all in the same bay at Gourlay

The most we have seen at one time, so far, is 6 with one of these being a weiner. This is a pup that has now left its mother and is learning to fend for itself. But that doesn't mean it can't also learn how to sleep!

A weiner chills out with some adults in the background

The weiner has actually popped up a number of times over a few weeks in places all around the island, evidently getting acquainted with Signy and finding preferred spots to haul out at.

Small, slightly furry still having not shed all its pup fur, but still impressive to see

Sometimes you just have to wonder, are they dreaming? And what of?

That typical tired look of a kid just waking up that wants to stay in bed!

My favourite moment had to be when the weiner decided to visit us on base. Hauling out just next to the main building here it stuck around for a little while and then left. But when it came back it decided hauling out was too much effort and sleeping in the tide line was a good enough option!

Relaxing in the calming rocking off the waves on the shoreline

The Weddells are fairly frequently seen in small numbers through most of the season, so hopefully we get to spend quite a bit more time with such charismatic seals!

Adelie Life

The Adelie season is progressing well here at Signy and is now reaching an important stage as all the chicks are hatching. We monitor one colony regularly, every 2-3 days, to ascertain how well the season is progressing and use data collected from this site to determine when is the optimum time to visit other colonies where more periodical checks are carried out.

The colonies are very active at this time of year

Although the chicks are hatching the colony is still a mixture of nests at different stages. Those nests that laid late are still on eggs whilst those that are very late, or maybe failed and are trying again, are still pair bonding and mating.

Mating pair of Adelies

Although there is a mixture of breeding stages within the colony, as there always is in most seabird colonies, the vast majority have reached that exciting time - hatching!

Known as pipping, the chicks first break through the egg creating a small hole with the 'egg tooth' on the end of their beaks

Once hatched the chicks are well guarded by the adults, who take it in turn to incubate eggs and brood chicks. As the chicks are so small we often see nothing more than a small patch of grey fluff under the brooding adult.

First glimpses of chicks can be very brief

When switching brooding duty the two parents will call to each other to reaffirm pair bonds before the adult that was brooding takes a turn at foraging to bring food back to the new chicks, and vice versa.

Adults call to each other when reunited at the colony

Once hatching begins the rate of hatching continues to increase, in just a couple of weeks we go from the first chick to hundreds of them and we can begin to see grey fluff sticking out of most of the nests.

Chicks are appearing in more and more nests each day

Of course, once hatched the chicks are very interested in food! These feeding times give us the best opportunity to see the chicks more clearly as they beg for food and get fed by adults regurgitating small amounts of crustaceans (normally krill) or fish at a time.

A young chick gets a feed

It doesn't take long for the chicks to begin growing and become more boisterous and demanding on the nest. Adelies lay two eggs, and in good conditions can raise both chicks through the season.

One chick gets fed as the second pokes its beak out

The chicks continue to grow and start to become too big to be entirely covered by the brooding adult. At this stage the chicks can regularly be seen but are not yet big enough to be left unguarded by the adults.

Happy families

As with any ecosystem, when there is a source of food there will be something to eat it. Penguin colonies, with all the nutritious eggs and helpless young chicks available, attract attention from Skuas. Brown Skuas can often be seen harassing nests from one side causing the adult penguin to shift that way to guard the nest, this allows a partner bird to sneak in and take an exposed egg or chick from the other side. It is brilliant to see nature at work and in balance like this.

Skuas often hang around the edge of penguin colonies, looking for opportunities to feed

Of course Skuas aren't the only predators on the colony. Penguins themselves are predators, eating krill, other crustaceans and fish to survive and raise their chicks. But when all is calm in the colony there aren't many better sights than penguins!

A serene moment for this incubating adult

We very much enjoy our work here at Signy and occasionally the sun will come out and allow us to enjoy the views over a tea break!

The huts at Gourlay allow a great place to store equipment and have a break during the working day

Not to be forgotten though, the penguins will make sure we are always aware they are here!

An Adelie comes to check out the huts

Gourlay is our main site for studying the Adelies and Chinstraps, but they and the Skuas are not the only species present. Seals are often seen in the bays and Snowy Sheathbills are always flying around looking for scraps of food. But the highlight at the moment from the other species is the noise of Wilson's Storm-Petrels calling from their nest sites under rocks and in crevices between the stones.

Very hard to see as the nest sites are quite deep, occasionally we can glimpse a Storm-Petrel or two in the rocks

With the Adelies progressing so quickly it won't be long until the chicks are big enough to be left unguarded by the adults. At this stage the chicks will creche together in large huddles for warmth and safety, but until then there are plenty more to hatch!