Claire of the Antarctic

The following day was perfectly calm and still, affording some pretty spectacular reflections in the ice-free pockets of water.

The seal pup deciding the mother seal is sufficiently sleep to not notice him slinking off…

For the past month now I have been heading out almost daily to watch the seals. One of the most remarkable aspects of Weddell seals is how tolerant they are of humans, they are not disturbed at all by our presence. Obviously we respect a reasonable distance from the seals as dictated by the Antarctic Treaty, yet on occasion the seals find us as interesting as we find them, and wriggle and writhe along to investigate us, and as the pups become braver they too are acquiring confidence to come closer.

In this photograph taken last week on a stroll around the point, the pup was particularly active playing hide and seek with its mother behind the grounded bergy bit (smaller piece of iceberg) frozen into the sea ice.

The sea ice has been breaking up in North Cove, however sufficient remains for the Weddell seals to pup at Rothera a while longer. The prospect of sitting out in the snow to observe the seal mother and baby unit so closely has not loss it’s attraction, and so whenever the weather has permitted I have been hunkering down at the edge of the sea ice to capture the scene. It is quite remarkable that we can even enjoy this documentary unfolding before us from the comfort of New Bransfield, be that from the dining table or even an armchair in the library! I still maintain the best views are those seen outside, as I hope this photograph conveys.

The two Baslers literally were on a flying visit, remaining at Rothera for less than forty eight hours waiting for a weather window to permit them to fly to South Pole and onto McMurdo, where they are now flying between the two on a US Science programme. They took the window that they required, heading farther South, leaving the Rotherites to enjoy the remaining winter winds, precluding any new visitors for a while, leaving us to enjoy our final moments of peace and isolation.

For people who know me, one of the greatest challenges of over wintering has been the absence of freshies. I was not the only one to be quite ecstatic at the appearance of oranges and apples in a fruit bowl on the dining table. It is quite extraordinary how items of such insignificance at home have acquired a degree of reverence here.

The Baslers did not disappoint on either count, they even brought in an additional member of the Winter team for 2010, Clem Collins, without whom the Air Hangar Operations are substantially disadvantaged. So, with two planes and nine new chaps around base seemed distinctly busier, and the dinner table, normally accommodating just the 22 of us, seemed a tad cosier that night! Slightly cosier dining arrangements were a small price to pay for the privelege of fresh fruit.