Seal (p)update

The seal side of work on the island has slowed down considerably, giving myself and Sian a chance to catch our breath and relax a little after the last 5 weeks of non-stop seal research. We’ve been visiting the Special Study Beach (SSB) twice a day, every day, to make note of which male fur seals are holding territory, when females arrive (and whether they are known individuals with tags), and when they pup. There have been 385 births so far, with a peak of 28 born in a single day. This has slowed down to around 2 or 3 a day at the moment, and is expected to continue to drop until there are no more births, and we don’t need to go to SSB anymore in a few weeks time. After this, we’ll continue to perform scat analysis (identifying and measuring the contents of 15 scats per week) in the lab, and keep an eye on comings and goings on the beach in front of base.

A male makes a dash up the stream, trying to avoid other territorial seals

Unlike the elephant seals, fur seal mothers return to sea after the initial few days with their pups to replenish their resources before coming ashore once more to feed their pups. During this unsupervised time, the pups normally explore the beach and pester all the inhabitants. They even come up to base to line our doorsteps, and sleep on everything interesting they can find. This can sometimes make going through doors interesting, as you either have to watch where you step, or a pup will be hiding nearby and all you’ll hear is a growl, which for a split second can sound like an angry male who you don’t want to be surprised by! 

Princess and the pea, pup style.

A proud male

Sadly, this year the pups aren’t doing too well. The mortality at SSB is double that of this time last year, and it’s expected to be due to the mothers not finding the krill that they rely upon during the summer months. It’s too early to conclusively say, but the strong El Nino is likely to play a part. This means that not only are we ‘walking to work’ (SSB) past dead pups and seeing them there, but they are also literally dying on our doorstep. Thankfully, the pups that are still alive, and even thriving in some cases, are very cute and make everything seem a bit more cheerful!

Kelp is a favourite toy, and even better when combined with swimming around in pools.

A pup who thinks he is formidable, but is actually just very cute!

It’s now getting to the stage where the males are slimmer and will soon return to sea, heading South to feed and build up their fat reserves again for next year.  The females will continue to return to feed their pups, which will (hopefully) grow to be big, strong, and fast. For now though, most of them are still rather small and adorable.

 

Pups sleeping on our doorstep

It is a strange thought that I'll be seeing the same spectacle again next year when I'm still here, and celebrating new years eve with the next group of ZFA's. It’s an amazing place here, with stunning wildlife which makes it a very varied island despite the small size. You have to stay alert amongst the seals on the beaches, watching out for males who think you’re a threat to their females, or a young male who seems almost to have something to prove. Of course, the pups are the biggest danger on the beaches, growling and baring their teeth so enthusiastically that they sometimes fall over backwards. Things change quickly here, one second you can be moving swiftly away from a male, and the next be saying 'awww' and laughing at a puppy playing with some feathers. Away from the beaches and into the first layer of tussock you’ll find a few sporadic pups, females and males. Past that, everything seems a lot more relaxing. There are currently chicks of various birds in nests, including brown skuas, macaroni penguins, and several species of albatross. It’s nice to take some time away from the seals every so often and enjoy the views from one of the hills, or head over to ‘big mac’ to see 65,000 macaroni penguins.  There is still so much of the island that I’m yet to see, which I’ll hopefully manage to explore now that I have a bit of extra time. Helping out the other Zoological Field Assistants (ZFA’s) is the perfect excuse to see more, and I’ve been out helping check on skua chicks and eggs, assisted in the ringing process of giant petrels, and helped to weigh wandering albatross chicks, and check on the new cohort’s nests and eggs.

 I'll be sure to make the most of the seals whilst they are still around, especially having wildlife so predictably close to base, which I'm sure to miss during winter.

Pups guarding the door to the lab

Not a bad view really