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Flamboyantly coloured algae held fast to a rock. Photo: Jacque Comery
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Purple Algae. Photo: Jacque Comery
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Starfish high and dry. Photo: Jacque Comery
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Algae in the pebbles. Photo: Jacque Comery
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Algae on the rocks Photos: Jacque Comery
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Tuesday, 11 August 2015
July 26: Little things, bold colours
In the often grey scale world that we live in down here, the bursts of colour afforded by nature are bold and demanding of the attention.
July 25: Kelp and rocks
Just enjoying the simplicity of colours and shapes of kelp and rocks on the east beach of the isthmus .
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Kelp holdfast. Photo: Jacque Comery
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Treble clef kelp Photo: Jacque Comery
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Kelp in a rockpool at the waters edge flanked by purple algae. Photo: Jacque Comery
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Swirling veins in a beach cobble Photo: Jacque Comery
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Thursday, 6 August 2015
July 24: The Station cats...
Cats were first introduced to Macquarie Island by sealers, brought ashore to help protect food stores from rodents also introduced to the island by ships. No doubt they also quickly became companions to men living a harsh and lonely existence. With little food and being left to fend for themselves some strayed and soon became wild. Whilst cats were first mentioned as living on the island in 1820, it was likely that they were present before this. By 1912 feral cats were described as being numerous.
Sir Douglas Mawson himself in his address to the Australian Geographic Society in 1919 declared his opinion that the cats of the island were a menace to birdlife and should be exterminated.
In the 1970's it was estimated that there were 170 to 250 cats on the island killing 60,000 burrowing seabirds annually.
In 1996 the Commonwealth and Tasmania Governments funded a five year cat eradication program, which was declared a success in 2002, and the island remains cats free today.
A few pelts hang in Tasmanian Parks office on Station, a testament to the wily hunters that prevailed on the island for almost two centuries.
This station photo from 1980 hangs on the wall in the mess, and two station cats appear, clearly companions of expeditioners.
Oh what a joy it would be to have the company of a feline companion through the long winter. Alas the impact on wildlife here speaks for itself, and the eradication of cats from Macquarie Island has allowed many species regain a foothold in an ecological balance upset so long ago, with the first arrival of humans.
For a wonderful read on the life of a Ranger involved in the hunting of Feral Cats on Macquarie Island check out Feral Dilemma, by Michael Anderson, 2014.
Sir Douglas Mawson himself in his address to the Australian Geographic Society in 1919 declared his opinion that the cats of the island were a menace to birdlife and should be exterminated.
In the 1970's it was estimated that there were 170 to 250 cats on the island killing 60,000 burrowing seabirds annually.
In 1996 the Commonwealth and Tasmania Governments funded a five year cat eradication program, which was declared a success in 2002, and the island remains cats free today.
A few pelts hang in Tasmanian Parks office on Station, a testament to the wily hunters that prevailed on the island for almost two centuries.
This station photo from 1980 hangs on the wall in the mess, and two station cats appear, clearly companions of expeditioners.
Oh what a joy it would be to have the company of a feline companion through the long winter. Alas the impact on wildlife here speaks for itself, and the eradication of cats from Macquarie Island has allowed many species regain a foothold in an ecological balance upset so long ago, with the first arrival of humans.
For a wonderful read on the life of a Ranger involved in the hunting of Feral Cats on Macquarie Island check out Feral Dilemma, by Michael Anderson, 2014.
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The 1980 Macca Station crew, complete with pet cats. Photo: Jacque Comery
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July 23: An aurora on a windy, cloudy night
An aurora appears....yah!
Oh, it is windy and cloudy and a bit rainy too...oh...
Internet doesn't work, not much else going on...ok...photo challenge!
Now for the challenge part.
Firstly the wind. It buffets and shakes the tripod so much that no attempt of shielding it with your body, hugging it, or hanging from it seems to steady things enough to get 13 seconds of shake free exposure time! (Well we do live in the Furious Fifties I guess). Not to mention that you almost get blown off the vantage points from which you want to shoot from (on this occasion the 'golf tee' half way up Wireless Hill).
It whips an endless spray of salt through the air, which coats your lens, gets into your camera, and all over your face, but also spreads a fine mist overhead which disperses the light in the shots, making everything a big green pile!
The clouds? Well that is obvious. They just get in the way. Although sometimes they do offer some nice contrast in the sky.
And then the moon turns up, flooding everything with light, including the sea mist, trying to steal the attention of the big green aurora lights.
The outcome? Many photos of auroras peeking behind clouds with wiggly stars in the sky that look like a plague of small white larvae, that have escaped into my camera lens!
On the upside though, a fun night was had just being in the great outdoors and making the best challenge of Macca's elements. And good company is always to be found in like minded souls also stumbling around in the dark, trying to avoid elephant seals, just trying to take a damn photo!
And here they are....
Oh, it is windy and cloudy and a bit rainy too...oh...
Internet doesn't work, not much else going on...ok...photo challenge!
Now for the challenge part.
Firstly the wind. It buffets and shakes the tripod so much that no attempt of shielding it with your body, hugging it, or hanging from it seems to steady things enough to get 13 seconds of shake free exposure time! (Well we do live in the Furious Fifties I guess). Not to mention that you almost get blown off the vantage points from which you want to shoot from (on this occasion the 'golf tee' half way up Wireless Hill).
It whips an endless spray of salt through the air, which coats your lens, gets into your camera, and all over your face, but also spreads a fine mist overhead which disperses the light in the shots, making everything a big green pile!
The clouds? Well that is obvious. They just get in the way. Although sometimes they do offer some nice contrast in the sky.
And then the moon turns up, flooding everything with light, including the sea mist, trying to steal the attention of the big green aurora lights.
The outcome? Many photos of auroras peeking behind clouds with wiggly stars in the sky that look like a plague of small white larvae, that have escaped into my camera lens!
On the upside though, a fun night was had just being in the great outdoors and making the best challenge of Macca's elements. And good company is always to be found in like minded souls also stumbling around in the dark, trying to avoid elephant seals, just trying to take a damn photo!
And here they are....
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Aurora to the east. Photo: Jacque Comery
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| Moon to the west from Wireless Hill Golf Tee. Photo: Jacque Comery |
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Trying to make an appearance from behind the clouds. Photo: Jacque Comery
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Big green pile! Photo: Jacque Comery
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July 22: Wildlife tag
I found this flipper tag on the east beach of the Isthmus. These tags were used to tag the flippers of seals back when seals were still a subject of research on the island.
The Rangers are currently looking into tracing some information on the tag and its origin. Stay tuned.
UPDATE: It turns out that Orange 9583 belonged to a female elephant seal born in 1999 at 33 kg. She was weaned at a weight of 72kg. She survived to age 6.
The Rangers are currently looking into tracing some information on the tag and its origin. Stay tuned.
UPDATE: It turns out that Orange 9583 belonged to a female elephant seal born in 1999 at 33 kg. She was weaned at a weight of 72kg. She survived to age 6.
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Flipper tag. Photo: Jacque Comery
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July 21: Heritage find on the beach
Another beach treasure hunt. This time rather than finding my own previous nights meal, I noticed a rusted artefact that had become uncovered after recent high seas on the east coast.
Many areas along this beach were used in the early sealing and penguin oil production days.
I reported the find to the Ranger in Charge, who collected the item and has added it to the store of heritage items that are being collected as they are uncovered and discovered on the island, to prevent them being lost to the sea.
Many areas along this beach were used in the early sealing and penguin oil production days.
I reported the find to the Ranger in Charge, who collected the item and has added it to the store of heritage items that are being collected as they are uncovered and discovered on the island, to prevent them being lost to the sea.
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Artefact on the beach. Photo: Jacque Comery
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Artefact. Photo: Jacque Comery
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Artefact. Photo: Jacque Comery
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July 20: Mysterious creature on the beach
Today I came across this mysterious creature on the beach. Perhaps some kind of strange invertebrate? I also got to thinking that it looked like a small Port Jackson Shark style of egg. Sea cucumber? Moulted mollusc?
After firing off about 20 shots in macro mode on the camera, feeling that I had sufficiently documented the creature for science, and adequately captured an artistic interpretation of the moment, I thought perhaps I would poke the creature and see what it felt like.
Then it dawned on me.
Oh yes! I recognise you!
This strange and rare sea creature of the sub-Antarctic is indeed a piece of pasta from last night, that has washed back up on the beach.....
ooohhhhhhkaaayyy then.....
Moving right along..... too hilarious not to share.
After firing off about 20 shots in macro mode on the camera, feeling that I had sufficiently documented the creature for science, and adequately captured an artistic interpretation of the moment, I thought perhaps I would poke the creature and see what it felt like.
Then it dawned on me.
Oh yes! I recognise you!
This strange and rare sea creature of the sub-Antarctic is indeed a piece of pasta from last night, that has washed back up on the beach.....
ooohhhhhhkaaayyy then.....
Moving right along..... too hilarious not to share.
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Mysterious sea creature otherwise known as Spiralis pastaiensis. Photo: Jacque Comery
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