Macquarie Island I
The following photographs were taken at Macquarie Island which is around 1500km south of Tasmania.
I had the privilege of being part of the 66th ANARE (Australian National Antarctic Research Expedition) from March 2013 to April 2014.
I hope the photographs show the life cycle of the wildlife, abundant flora and seasons of this World Heritage listed island
M001 - Adolescent elephant seals wallow in a puddle near the station - October 2013
M002 - Large male elephant seal hangs out on the periphery of a big harem on the west side of the Isthmus - October 2013
M003 - A skua looks onto the large royal penguin colony just above Sandy Bay on the east coast - October 2017
M004 - After snow showers over the island - there are several elephant seal harems on the beaches - October 2013
M005 - Gentoo chicks becoming drowsy on a warm day - November 2013
M006 - Giant petrel after having a feed inside a dead large male elephant seal - November 2013
M007 - Bookend king penguins at Gadgets Gully - November 2013
M008 - The Aurora Australis crashes through the big swell on its way through the Southern Ocean to Macquarie Island - March 2013
M009 - Elephant seals, king and royal penguins on the east coast beach just south of the Nuggets - January 2014
M010 - King penguins on the east coast beach near Gadgets Gully - January 2014
M011 - An young male elephant seal runs the gauntlet to the water through the royal penguin colony at Hurd Point - January 2014
M012 - Silver-leaf daisy (Pleurophyllum hookeri) flowering on the west coast featherbed - January 2014
M013 - Newly weened elephant seal pup lies amongst the rocks, pebbles and giant kelp on the east side of the Isthmus - January 2014
M014 - Aurora australis over the island on a rare clear sky night - May 2014
M015 - Heading down the east coast past Brothers Point and onto Green Gorge - May 2014
M016 - Rockhopper penguin hiding amongst the tussock grass on the hillside of Camp Hill - February 2014
M017 - Inquisitive king penguins on the beach near Gadgets Gully - February 2014
M018 - October snow storm at the station - October 2013
M019 - Green Gorge king penguins and elephant seals - October 2013
M020 - The wild east coast of Macquarie Island - October 2013
M021 - View of the snow covered escarpment from Camp Hill - October 2013
M022 - Large male elephant seal on the Isthmus - October 2013
M023 - Huge male elephant seal waiting for an opportunity to raid the harem - October 2013
M024 - Looking out for kangaroos - October 2013
M025 - Beach master of the large elephant seal harem on the western side of the Isthmus - October 2013
M026 - Light mantled sooty albatross soars over the Isthmus - October 2013
M027 - View from Camp Hill of the snow covered escarpment, West Beach, Handspike Point and the elephant seal harems on the eastern side of the Isthmus - October 2013
M028 - View of the snow covered escarpment showing Gadgets Gully and the stairs up to the Razorback Ridge lookout - November 2013
M029 - A young elephant seal lies on a type of buzzy plant (Acaena magellanica) near the Clean Air Laboratory on the west side of the Isthmus - November 2013
M030 - A couple of elephant seal weaner pups play fighting in front of the station - November 2013
M031 - On the beach on the east side of the Isthmus a huge male elephants seal heralds the arrival of the L'Astrolabe - October 2013
M032 - King penguin colony at Gadgets Gully - November 2013
M033 - Its a tough life for a king penguin chick - near Gadgets Gully - November 2013
M034 - Looking south from Wireless Hill shows the contrasting ocean colour and conditions between the east and west coasts - November 2013
M035 - Light mantled sooty albatross nesting on the steep cliffs on the eastern side of North Head - November 2013
M036 - A young elephants seal trying to find a way out of the station enclosure - November 2013
M037 - Elephant seal weaners on the eastern side of the Isthmus - November 2013
A elephant seal pup weighs around 40kg (88lbs) at birth. It will then feed on the fat rich milk for around 23 days attaining a weight of between 120 and 130 kg (260 to 290 lbs). At this time the pup is weaned.
M038 - A rusting digestor reminds us of the dark past when the penguin population was exploited for its oil - West Beach - November 2013
M039 - A gentoo penguin chick touches it's parents beak to trigger a feeding response - November 2013
M040 - After the gentoo chick touches the parents beak the parent responds by regurgitating food into the chicks open mouth - November 2013
M041 - King penguins huddle on the eastern beach of the Isthmus - November 2013
M042 - View of the Isthmus and North Head from the lookout on Razorback Ridge - November 2013
M043 - Vivid coloured feathers of a sleeping king penguin - November 2013
M044 - A king penguin loosing the last of it's downey feathers to become a young adult - November 2013
M045 - Dried kelp on the pebbly beach on the east coast - November 2013
M046 - View down the east coast on a sunny day - November 2013
M047 - Large male elephant seal blocking the entrance gate to the station - November 2013
M048 - Elephant seal weaner pups on the beach near Cosray Rocks on the eastern side of the Isthmus - November 2013
M049 - Young adult elephant seals molting amongst the tussock mounds on the western side of Razorback Ridge - November 2013
M050 - Newly weened elephant seal pups on the beach on the east side of the Isthmus - December 2013
A elephant seal pup weighs around 40kg (88lbs) at birth. It will then feed on the fat rich milk for around 23 days attaining a weight of between 120 and 130 kg (260 to 290 lbs). At this time the pup is weaned.
M051 - A group of inquisitive king penguins visiting the station - December 2013
M052 - Young adult king penguins molting on the beach on the east coast near Tractor Rock, with North Head in the background - December 2013
M053 - A gathering of gentoo penguins, mostly young adults on West Beach in front of the escarpment - December 2013
M054 - Remains of a male elephant seal on West Beach - December 2013
M055 - A couple of newly weened elephant seal pups hanging around one of the historic Nissan huts on the station - December 2013
M056 - Weather balloon release in typical windy conditions - December 2013
M057 - King penguins on the beach near Gadgets Gully on the east coast - December 2013
M058 - The amazing vivid colours of a king penguin on the beach near Gadgets Gully - December 2013
M059 - Gentoo parent with its two chicks - December 2013
Gentoo penguins usually lay and hatch 2 eggs. If the season isn’t turning out so well they will abandon (not feed) the weaker of the chicks.
M060 - Orcas off Garden Cove - female (smaller dorsal fin) and male (large fin) - December 2012
On the 12th of December a pod of Orcas turned up in Garden Cove. We watched in awe as a pod of seven Orcas systematically corralled elephant seal weaner pups that were just venturing into the shallow waters for food. The female (matriarch) leader of the pod seemed to be teaching the other members how to hunt.
M061 - SAR (Search and Rescue) capabilities during summer resupply just near Landing Beach on the eastern side of the Isthmus - December 2013
M062 - Summer deployment of expeditioners and supplies, using a LARC (Lighter, Amphibious, Resupply, Cargo) - December 2013
M063 - Adolescent male elephant seal on station
M064 - Young fur seal at Garden Cove
M065 - Rock Hopper penguins at Camp Hill - Christmas day 2013
M066 - Sunset on from the Aurora Australis - March 2013
M067 - Voyage to Macquarie Island on the Aurora Australis - March 2013
M068 - Voyage to Macquarie Island on the Aurora Australis - March 2013
M069 - Helicopters parked up for the night - March 2013 re-supply
M070 - Giant petrel chick - December 2013
M071 - Elephant seal wallow near the station - December 2013
M072 - Elephant seal wallow near the station - December 2013
M073 - View towards North Head (Wireless Hill) - March 2013
M074 - Molting male elephant seal - January 2014
M075 - Juvenile elephant seals wallowing on the shore of Hasselborough Bay - March 2013
M076 - Gentoo penguins on the shore of Buckles Bay - January 2014
M077 - MIPEP (Macquarie Island Pest Eradication Program) dog Flax being transported down island in a IRB - January 2014
M078 - Skuas monitoring the King penguins at Hurd Point - January 2014
M079 - King penguins at Hurd Point - January 2014
M080 - Royal penguins at Hurd Point January 2014
M081 - Royal penguin at Hurd Point - January 2014
M082 - Young elephant seal charging through the Royal penguin colony at Hurd Point - January 2014
M083 - Leaving Hurd Point by IRB
M084 - Langdon Bay on the West coast - January 2014
M085 - A beautiful day on the west coast - January 2014
M086 - A beautiful sunny day on the west coast - January 2014
M087 - Whale vertebrae near Douglas Bay on the West coast - January 2014
M088 - Brothers Point hut on the East coast, with the Akademik Shokalskiy offshore - January 2014
M089 - Bailian and Cody, MIPEP dogs, by their kennels at Brothers Point Hut - January 2014
M090 - Dr Clive heading north towards Sandy Bay - January 2014
M091 - King penguin colony at Sandy Bay on the East coast - January 2014
M092 - King penguins at Sandy Bay - January 2014
M093 - King penguins and elephant seals at Sandy Bay on the East coast - January 2014
M094 - East coast beach looking towards Nuggets Point and the Nuggets - January 2014
M095 - A pair of Royal penguins with different coloured faces - January 2014
M096 - Molting king penguins on the Isthmus
M097 - Juvenile elephant seals wallowing near the Meteorological building
M098 - Young elephant seal in the giant kelp on the western side of the Isthmus
M099 - Juvenile male elephant seal - January 2014
M100 - Giant kelp washed up on the pebbly beach of the Isthmus - April 2013
M101 - Young fur seal on the Isthmus - January 2014
M102 - King penguin colony at Lusitania Bay on the east coast - January 2014
M103 - King penguin colony at Lusitania Bay on the east coast - January 2014
M104 - King penguin colony at Lusitania Bay on the east coast - January 2014
M105 - Royal penguins march to and from their colony 250 metres above sea level - January 2014
M106 - Digesters at Nuggets Point
Between the 1880’s and 1919 the penguins of Macquarie Island were systematically caught and boiled in these digesters to render the oil. In that time around 3 million penguins were slaughtered. In 1919 when this carnage was stopped there was only on colony of 4000 king penguins left.
M107 - A bit of agro in the royal penguin colony - January 2014
M108 - Royal penguins courting in the colony at Sandy Bay on the East coast - January 2014
M109 - Old Sandy Bay hut surrounded by a king penguin colony - January 2014
The hut are old Walrus aircraft engine packing crates, put in place in 1949. They served as field huts for many years until the penguin colony encroached. It was abandoned when a new huts was installed at Brothers Point.
M110 - Fog bow on the east coast near Razorback Ridge - April 2013
M111 - Looking south across the Isthmus from the 'Golf Tee' on Wireless Hill - January 2014
M112 - Macquarie Island Station and the Isthmus at the northern end of the island - January 2014
M113 - Macquarie Island cabbage (Stilbocarpa polaris) alongside the track up to Wireless Hill - January 2014
M114 - One of the Nuggets - Remnants of a volcano core - April 2013
M115 - Molting gentoo penguins - February 2014
M116 - Pebble Art - February 2014
M117 - King penguin at Gadgets Gully - February 2014
M118 - View of the station and Wireless Hill from West Beach - February 2014
M119 - Molting male elephant seal - February 2014
M120 - Macquarie Island cabbage (Stilbocarpa polaris) flower - February 2014
M121 - Juvenile fur seal in Garden Cove - February 2014
M122 - View across Garden Cove - February 2014
M123 - Fur seal pup in Garden Cove - February 2014
M124 - King penguins being photo bombed by a juvenile elephant seal on the beach east of the Isthmus - February 2014
M125 - Stormy day in Hasselborough Bay - February 2014
M126 - Altocumulus sky over Garden Cove - February 2014
M127 - Giant kelp washed up on the beach just west of the station - February 2014
M128 - Macquarie Island panorama - June 2013