Penguin Cam Installation

The boulder iceberg.

Since we have a lot of gear to transport to Torgersen Island we used the larger Zodiac 18 foot.

A few hundred Adelie Penguins have returned to Torgersen Island for nesting season.

The penguins are in the process of "pairing off."

The penguin cam usually gets installed by the summer comms person but since the summer crew won't arrive until December the job falls onto the winter comms guy - me.

Cool jagged granite.

Palmer Station is to the far right.

We set up two 135W solar panels, a remote-controlled camera, and an equipment box containing two batteries, and associated parts to send the pictures over to Palmer Station for processing onto the internet. https://www.usap.gov/videoclipsandmaps/palwebcam.cfm Click on Torgersen Island Penguin Colony.

A fine work crew.

The "I was there" shot.

Installation complete.

Headed back to the boat.

The penguin cam is to the far upper right.

This rocky formation is known as Elephant Seal Rocks. Elephant seal pups recently born.

 

Sunsets and Ice

A wave sastrugi.

Rocks reflecting off the icy water of Hero Inlet.

The following four pictures of the same sunset.

I voted from Antarctica.

Crab eater seal floating by.

Glacial blue.

My office on the left alongside the radome that encloses the 16-foot satellite communications antenna.

When I run up and down the station road I mark my laps in the snow. 15 laps are 4.8 miles.

Shoveling snow at the glacier radio sled. This is done every two weeks or so or the sled gets buried. The sled is at the top of the glacier about 1.5 miles from the station.

A few years ago the glacier collapsed and this island discovered.

Antarctic sunsets are varied and amazing.

The view from my dorm window this Sunday morning.

This will be the setup for the penguin cam we will soon install on a local island. The webcam is to the far right. There are two solar panels and an equipment box with two batteries. The camera will be installed on a tall pole and transmit nesting Adelie penguins pictures once every 15 seconds. 

A beautiful sunrise.

Brash ice floating in.