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

August 13: Crisp morning, beautiful skies

North head. Photo: Jacque Cmery

Garden Cove at dawn. Photo: Jacque Comery

Pink hues reflected in Garden Cove. Photo: Jacque Comery

The LARC. Photo: Jacque Comery

July 31: Winds

This is what 85 knots (157 km/h) winds look like in Garden Cove... The record for  wind speed though was set in 1979 at 178 km/hr.

85 knots (157km/h) in Garden Cove. Photo: Jacque Comery

Wind gust blowing the water flat. Photo: Jacque Comery

July 10: Garden Cove Rockpools

A low swell day on the east coast this time, gave me another opportunity to check out the rockpools in Garden Cove. The east side is typically more sheltered, as the prevailing winds and swell here are from the west.
With Mark and Ben coming along, one to spot for Orca's (joking...  kind of) and one to spot for grumpy Fur Seals, we waded around in the sheltered knee deep pools.
There is a myth here that if we tap the rocks with  a pole that the resident Orca's will show up. Ben banged away for an eternity, and nothing happened! Mark was snapping pics of cute fur seals, one with a green tag, that we haven't yet  ID'ed.  Our friend #711 wasn't here today.
I saw lots of anemones, and still no nudibranches.
Whilst I donned a dry suit this time to keep my feet dry whilst wading around, my hands still froze quickly in the sub-Antarctic water with  pink washing up gloves over my wool gloves! Also I still can't put my face in the water (no swimming allowed) so have no idea what I am shooting as I can't see the viewfinder! Super fun to see how much life is tucked into the intertidal zone.



Anemones. Photo: Jacque Comery



Anemones. Photo: Jacque Comery



Anemones and Sea cucumber. Photo: Jacque Comery



Tiny critters galore. Photo: Jacque Comery



Sea cucumbers. Photo: Jacque Comery

June 28: Window cleaning....even in paradise we do chores

I have probably the best view I will ever have in my life, from my bedroom and office windows.  However so much salt blows in on the wind that I can't see.
Today I took advantage of belting westerly winds to clean my leeward easterly facing windows. Now when the Orcas turn up I will actually be able to see them playing in my front garden in the Garden Cove. Yah!



Window cleaning my way to a world class view.  Photo: Andrea Turbett

June 26: A fishy visitor

This morning this guy showed up in Garden Cove just behind Station.
After much perusing of books and the internet, our best guess is that it might be Notothenia coriiceps, or Black Cod.  It may have been around 650 mm long.
It is typically found in the Southern Ocean: probably circum-Antarctic on the continental shelf. So far, known from the western Ross Sea, Balleny islands, Adélie Land, Antarctic Peninsula and associated islands, islands of the Scotia Arc to South Georgia, Weddell Sea, Bouvet, and the sub-Antarctic islands of the Indian Ocean sector. Ref: http://www.fishbase.org/summary/4702
Either way it has very pretty yellow fish lips.
Any species ID tips are welcome.....

Fish head in Garden Cove. Photo: Jacque Comery

June 8: Fur Seals in Garden Cove

Garden Cove is a lovely sheltered east facing cove immediately behind my house.  In fact I am lucky enough to view it from both my office and bedroom windows (when they are not encrusted with salt!). It is also home to many of the fur seals of the Island.
We have Sub-Antarctic and Antarctic Fur Seals here, also the NZ Fur Seals are alleged to be interbreeding with the population so resultant hybridisation is making it difficult to clearly identify many individuals.
Macca hosts the only breeding population of sub-Antarctic Fur Seals in Australian waters. Prior to the arrival of seals in 1810 there was estimated to be around 200,000 fur seals on and around the Isthmus.
Otariid, or eared seals, are far more dextrous than their earless cousins the phocid seals, which include the elephant seals. Fur seals can move around rocky terrain with ease unlike the elephant selas that hump their way about using the momentum of the undulations in their large blubbery bodies!  They move fast move fast and they have sharp teeth so one must always be on the lookout, and be light on your feet ready to evade their charges.  The older seals are more relaxed as it is not yet breeding season, but the young seals, being less assured about what represents a threat seem to always mount a cheeky charge. I always run away which only seems to encourage them to keep charging. So cute and yet so scary!
Many of the seals are tagged from earlier research programs so whenever I sight a tag with a legible number I let the Rangers know, and they record the sighting in their database.  I will post an update about our friend #711 featured in these photos once I hear back with more information about him.


Introducing #711. Photo: Jacque Comery

It is easy to see why early seafarers called these guys Sea Bears. Photo: Jacque Comery

Such fine whiskers you have.  Photo: Jacque Comery

Young fur seal getting ready to chase me away. Photo: Jacque Comery



Perfect vantage point. Photo: Jacque Comery

Sleepy fur seal. Photo: Jacque Comery

Young fur seal. Photo Jacque Comery