Between August 2008 and April 2018 I spent a number of years working on Signy Island (South Orkney Islands) and Bird Island (South Georgia) for the British Antarctic Survey (BAS). I worked as a Zoological Field Assistant on the penguin, seal and albatross long-term monitoring programme. After a 5 year break, i'll be heading back down to Bird Island in Janary 2024 for another dose of penguin work.

This blog gives readers an insight into my day-to-day life in the Antarctic, from my first trip south in 2008 to the present day.

Saturday 27 March 2010

Icebergs and penguins

It's only just over a week til the last ship of the summer and we settle down to 6 months of winter with no more ship visits. As a result, we are all busy running around, finishing the last of our summer fieldwork and packing up cargo to go out on the ship. It is the time of year when we send out all of our rubbish, recycing, empty fuel drums and anything else sitting in dusty corners of the base that we no longer use.

We've had some great icebergs recently, and the penguins and seals have a a great time, jumping on and off them and sliding into the sea. I'm not going to write much here as i still have lots to do, but here are some happy gentoo penguins to keep people amused til after the ship has been and i have no more excuses left for not writing anything on here!!!



Tuesday 9 March 2010

Does anyone want my job?

If anyone wants my job, it is advertised at:
http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/employment/vacancies/job.php?JobID=531

You would get to Bird Island around November, and have a summer season handover with me, before i leave in April 2011. I can't believe how fast the time has gone- it seems funny that my job is advertised already, and that i shall have done 2.5 years by the time i leave!

All is well here. It seems to be raining and very windy a lot at the moment. I am looking forward to the winter when the rain will become snow and everything will freeze. We have lots of big icebergs at the moment, which is great.

Better get on- just killing time til the rain stops so I can go out and put rings on my giant petrel chicks so we know who they are when they come back to breed in a few years time.

Hope spring is finally on its way, back home in the real world!