October 1: The Beachmasters!

The bull elephants seals, The Beachmasters! Three to four metres long and  up to 3 tonne. Despite their big sluggish appearance these fellas can move. Avoiding getting between them and the water, then and the female seals, and them and pretty much anything else that they may be interested in, is highly recommended.
More amazing pics from Justin Chambers. Thanks jj.

Beachmaster on east beach. Photo: Justin Chambers

Beachmaster in the tussock. Photo: Justin Chambers

Beachmaster. Photo: Justin Chambers

Beachmaster . Photo:Justin Chambers

September 30: Seal harems on the east coast

The elephant seal harems are growing on the beaches around the isthmus. Each harem has a Beachmaster, a big male, and a posse of female seals who chose the harem that they wish to join. The Beachmasters then battle it out to take control of each others harems, winning the rights to mate with  all of the females. First though the females need to finish having their pups. As the harems get bigger the  Beachmaster has a greater area to cover to ward off sneaky suitors. If a rival male sneaks up on the harem, the Beachmaster will often charge through the seals, crushing females and pups to ward off the challenger. These battles can be a fight to the death, and the sight of two 3 tonne seals smashing against each other with tremendous force is a sight to behold.
To perch up in the tussock and watch this unfold has been likened to watching a soap opera of sorts.

Elephant seal harem on east beach. Photo: Justin Chambers

Seal harem on east beach. Photo: Justin Chambers

Beachmaster and his harem. Photo: Justin Chambers

Thanks for the photos jj.

September 29: Power house engines

Lionel our Station Mechanic, invited me to help out on a service on the  engines in the main power house. He has been kindly  tutoring me  on engine maintenance  to assist in my study towards my Marine Engine Driver Course (MED3).
On this day Lionel taught me how to undertake a valve adjustment.
The engines which power our station are marine diesel engines, and so I am able to complete many of the tasks required of my course here on Station with Lionel.

Valve adjustment. Photo: Lionel Whitehorn

Maintenance on the engines in the power house. Photo: Lionel Whitehorn

September 28: Furries in Garden Cove

After a Sunday afternoon counting elephant seals with Justin, on the east coast and in Garden Cove, the light brightened up presenting the perfect opportunity to capture all of the cheeky character of the local furries. Justin had the camera (I left mine at home).  I did however contribute with what I consider to be the helpful incessant begging and pleading to shoot more and cries of "Check out the light, shoot that way, look at that guy...etc etc....".

Thanks Justin for the pics. They are great!

Fur seal surfacing. Photo: Justin Chambers

Fur seal guarding its rock stack. Photo: Justin Chambers

Furries doing their best Meerkat impression. Photo: Justin Chambers

September 27: Milk face

Milk face. Photo: Lionel Whitehorn

September 26: Gadgets Gully

The trades team had been replacing the ladders up Gadgets Gully over several weeks of work. On a beautiful but cold day the boys finished the job and needed extra hands to help carry the old ladders and tool caches back down the Station. I was happy to lend a hand, and take in the beautiful view to be had from up in the gully at the same time. I seem to have scored a lighter load than Justin who is in the distance with a pack and two generators!

Carrying gear down Gadgets Gully. Photo: Rich Youd

September 25: Seal pup

Elephant seal pups are just gorgeous little bags of furry skin with big eyes and whiskers.

Elephant seal pup. Photo: Lionel Whitehorn

Elephant seal pup. Photo: Lionel Whitehorn

Elephant seal pup. Photo: Lionel Whitehorn

September 24: Skuas stealing milk

Skuas are a very intelligent and opportunistic scavenger. They recognise the rich elephant seal milk as a worthwhile food source. Bold and not easily spooked, they will sit beside the feeding pup ready to catch any milk wasted.

Skua ready to sneak in a drink. Photo: Lionel Whitehorn

Waiting reaps its reward for this Skua, who gets a free meal. Photo: Lionel Whitehorn

Looking for a sneaky feed. Photo: Lionel Whitehorn

September 23: When your admirer is bigger than you....

There's no getting away from a male elephant seal that wants some lovin'.

These shots are from Sandy Bay just to the north of Brothers Point. You can see the red googie shape of Brother's Point Hut in the rear.
Thanks Ranger Andrea for the great pics.

Beachmaster and seal at Sandy Bay. Photo: Andrea Turbett

Beachmaster with his captured seall at Sandy Bay. Photo: Andrea Turbett

September 22: Sand bath

The elephant seal is throwing sand over herself to assists with temperature regulation. On warmer days the seals nuzzle down into the sand and throw piles of it over themselves. As always the Skuas are never far away.

Elephant seal sand bath. Photo: Lionel Whitehorn

September 21: GP and the seal pup

Such is life on a small island, that everyone has to eat, and nothing is wasted.

A dead seal pup makes a meal for a Giant Petrel. Photo: Lionel Whitehorn

NGP eating a seal pup. Photo: Lionel Whitehorn

Guarding the meal. Photo: Lional Whitehorn

September 20: Elephant seal pup

Sleeping elephant seal pup. Photo: Lionel Whitehorn

Sleeping seal pup. photo: Lionel Whitehorn

September 19: Ele seal pup feeding time

The rick milk that the elephant seals are fed allows them to grow rapidly. The female seals almost appear to 'deflate'  in a matter of a few weeks as a result of the body mass lost in feeding their pups. The pups on the other hand, quickly fill out their baggy little black fur skins!  Skuas are always close at hand to sneak in and take advantage of milk squirting from the nipple after feeding. They sometimes will even try and harass the pups off the nipple so that they can feed on the milk themselves, such is the value of such as high energy source.

Elephant seal pup having a feed. Photo: Lionel Whitehorn

Feeding elephant seal pup. Photo: Lionel Whitehorn

A Skua moves in to steal the milk. Photo: Lionel Whitehorn

Thanks again to Lionel for great pics.
** My foot is on the mend and I shouls be up and about with my camera again soon!**

September 18: Station BBQ

Even in the sub-Antarctic a BBQ is sometimes called for. On this day we had completed a Search and Rescue training exercise that was run over 5 hours. We celebrated with a BBQ outside of the chippies workshop.

Relaxing by the fire drum. Photo: Jacque Comery

Taste testing. Photo: Jacque Comery

The BBQ skewers. Photo: Jacque Comery

Sitting by the fire. Photo: Jacque Comery

BBQ on the workshop porch> Photo: Jacque Comery

Rugged up for the BBQ. Photo: Jacque Comery

September 17: Southern Giant Petrel feeding on a bull seal

When the Giant Petrels feed on the carcasses of seals, they make a hole in the skin, and then poke their entire heads down inside the carcass. Their blood soaked plumage is a striking sight particularly  on the lighter coloured Northern Giant Petrels and the white Southern Giant Petrels.  Carcasses of dead seals though so not lay around long. The Giant Petrels and Skuas feed voraciously upon them, leaving little more than a deflated skin behind.

Northern Giant Petrel after a feed. Photo: Lionel Whitehorn

Northern Giant Petrel dripping with seal blood. Photo: Lionel Whitehorn

Northern Giant Petrel feeding on a seal. Photo: Lionel Whitehorn

September 16: Northern Giant Petrel

A Northern Giant Petrel feeding on a carcass.

Northern Giant Petrel. Photo: Lionel Whitehorn

NGP feeding on a carcass on the beach. Photo: Lionel Whitehorn

September 15: Redpoll Finches

These little Redpoll finches Acanthis flammea were introduced to Macquarie Island. They are usually seen flitting around in the tussock and the grasses of the plateau. They are the smallest birds that we have here on the island, and their little cheep cheep calls are sometimes the only wildlife sounds  that I would hear whilst walking on the plateau over winter.

Redpoll finch. Photo: Lionel Whitehorn

Redpoll finch. Photo: Lionel Whitehorn

Redpoll finch. Photo: Lionel Whitehorn

Redpoll finch: Photo: Lionel Whitehorn

September 14: Fuel farm in the sunlight

Macca fuel farm in the sunlight. Photo: Lionel Whitehorn

Thanks Lionel for the picture!

September 13: Southern Giant Petrels

A few great shots of the Southern Giant Petrel Macronectes giganteus flying above Station by Lionel Whitehorn.
They are most easily distinguished from the Northern Giant Petrel by the greenish beak tip.The SGPs also appear in a beautiful white variation here on Macquarie Island.

Southern Giant Petrel. Photo: Lionel Whitehorn

Southern Giant Petrel. Photo: Lionel Whitehorn

Southern Giant Petrel. Photo: Lionel Whitehorn

Southern Giant Petrel. Photo: Lionel Whitehorn