62 - A weekend at Bauer Bay..........

Hello Friends,

Here we go people the pics are going to be coming thick and fast this time, plus a little BS from me of course. Last weekend Fridgy and myself got off station for a nice long weekend at Bauer Bay. I did cover it a little in a PREVIOUS BLOG. Anyway before we got there we had been having some ordinary weather and caught this little guy shelling in the most ingenious place. Dosent look so but he is sheltered from the wind while all his buddies are out in it on the beach.

Pic: Michael Goldstein

We didn't escape it either but come hell or high water we were going to get off station. Here David and myself shelling from the wind taking a break.........was probably blowing around 30 knots and gusting to 45 knots. Enough to grab your backpack and turn you around if you didn't have your wits about you.......

Pic: David Hawley

So after arriving and having a great sleep we awoke to a spectacular day...........

Pic: David Hawley

And a mountain of powered egg and other things to make it taste better..........kinda worked!!

Pic: David Hawley

I didn't leave anything.........Fridgy on the other hand opted for spaghetti the following morning!

Pic: David Hawley

On the way down to the beach there was a nice pile of drift wood. Now the island has no trees, shrubs or even sticks. All this has been washed up by either off station, ship wreck or off fishing boats. The ship wreck is reasonably easy to spot as it has dowels and copper nails in it..........Here you can see the pile at Fridgy's feet..........

Pic: Michael Goldstein

Better shot of all the different bits of wood..........

 Pic: Michael Goldstein

Weather beaten bit of wood...............

Pic: David Hawley

Part of life here is death and here is a big Elephant seal scull on the beach...........

Pic: Michael Goldstein

 Trying to get another angle.............

Pic: David Hawley

The different angle...........

Pic: Michael Goldstein

A short walk from the hut is a small Royal Penguin rookery. It was really nice to sit quietly and watch these guys fight as the new guys coming back with food would fight their way back into their spot. Each time they would encroach on someone else's space all the waiting penguins would be snapping and squaring and throw their heads around, very funny to watch.

Pic: Michael Goldstein

Very photogenic little dudes though!!

Pic: Michael Goldstein

Pic: Michael Goldstein

Pic: Michael Goldstein

 Not far away not and this little guy will be feeding himself............

Pic: David Hawley

 What you looking at!!!

Pic: Michael Goldstein

 Can see a band on the penguin in the middle, am yet to find out from the rangers what thats all about........

Pic: Michael Goldstein

Pic: David Hawley

A Gentoo chilling on the beach........

Pic: Michael Goldstein

Then there was the ever watching eyes of the Sub-Antarctic Skua. I think if you were to lye down and lay still for 3 min you'd get a peck.

Pic: David Hawley

 David thought he would take this pic for his lovely wife as she likes shells............there were some nicer ones but can't find the pic at the moment...........

Pic: David Hawley

While walking close to as far as we could go in a northerly direction we came across this little guy. A GP or Giant Petrel not too sure if its a Northern or Southern but needless to say they look similar...........

Pic: Michael Goldstein

Not bothered by us in the slightest..........

Pic: David Hawley

Mind you the adults while not flying around were keeping a close eye on us........

Pic: David Hawley

Another GP we stumbled upon but this one is a fledgling almost ready to leave the nest.........

Pic: Michael Goldstein

Ahhhhhh the shells i found the pic i was looking for...........

Pic: David Hawley

Some of the seaweed growing close to shore.........

Pic: David Hawley

King Penguin having a little snooze.........

Pic: Michael Goldstein

Pic: Michael Goldstein

Pic: Michael Goldstein

Then there is all the Elephant Seals...........I think that at Bauer Bay they seem to be much bigger than on station too........

Pic: Michael Goldstein

A classic shoot of the wallows...........Good article on what a wallow is HERE written in 1930 describing the wallows here on Macca......

Pic: Michael Goldstein

Pic: Michael Goldstein

Pic: Michael Goldstein

As they are malting as well while they are here sometimes they can get a little grumpy too!!!!

Pic: Michael Goldstein

Then most of the time they just lay there and look at you...........

Pic: Michael Goldstein

And sometimes they don't even look at you..........

Pic: Michael Goldstein

Good shot looking South towards Bauer Bay........

Pic: Michael Goldstein

 I am fascinated by all the different mosses and small plants I do enjoy taking these close ups......

Pic: Michael Goldstein

Pic: Michael Goldstein

Pic: Michael Goldstein

Pic: Michael Goldstein

Pic: Michael Goldstein

Pic: Michael Goldstein

Pic: Michael Goldstein

Pic: Michael Goldstein

Pic: Michael Goldstein 

Pic: Michael Goldstein

 After about 3-4 hours of walking around the area we decided it was time for a afternoon kip and we were both out like snoring lights. Another t-bone and some lovely freshly canned vegetables and it was already the last night before we headed back to station.

Once we woke in the morning the weather had turned somewhat bad making the trip home less inviting my the moment but none the less we departed about 10am. Short hour and a half and we had crossed from the West coast to the East. Now we could have gone strait back to station but we did have a faint hope that the weather was going to clear up enough to take some pics on the East coast on our way home as there is much more to see there. I did manage to snap a couple away before i decided that the camera was getting too wet and put it away.

Pic: Michael Goldstein

Pic: Michael Goldstein

Also last week was the one year anniversary of the loss of three of our Canadian friends. Still a tender subject with many but Mike (left), Perry(Right back) and Bob (Right front). Still a subject I find difficult to put into words but to steal someone else's........

“I guess by now I should know enough about loss to realize that you never really stop missing someone-you just learn to live around the huge gaping hole of their absence.” 
― Alyson Noel.

Finally only today the AA has departed on its voyage to pick up the ice cores from the Aurora Basin deep field ice coring program, continue to Davis to pick up all the summerers from there then to Mawson to do their resupply. After that its only us to go and the 2013-14 summer season is done and dusted. Doesn't sound like much but there are still a few hurdles to overcome. As yet the ice still hasn't broken out of Horseshoe  Harbour at Mawson so resupply will be difficult until that has happened.

Anyway time for dinner here so hope you all enjoyed this one. This weekend I'm going to be heading out again but this time to Green Gorge and some different landscape to look forward to that one.....

Take care,

Michael

P.S......................."To get profit without risk...experience without danger...and reward without 
                         work...is as impossible as it is to live without being born." 

                          A.P. Gouthey