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