Posing with the penguins.

Hi ANSMET enthusiasts!! We are so close to getting out to the field, but it is not happening today. We got news about flight cancelation last night due to the difficulty of getting the airstrip ready (technical & weather issues at DW). And it’s a snow day in McMurdo today. All flights ended up being canceled. No worries, we are all optimistic about this week. The girls happily packed up our McMurdo clothes with nice happy music.  Let’s hope tomorrow is our day!

Penguins are a big draw in Mactown, in spite of the weather.

Meanwhile, we had an exciting day in McMurdo Station. First, we got news about a penguin sighting at Hut Point. Daniela, Erin, Lauren, Robert, and I dashed to the Hut Point and saw about a dozen penguins happily marching far distance. Afternoon, more news about penguins came in. People started dashing toward sea ice by the helicopter pad. Sure enough, more than 3 dozen Adélie penguins are hunkering down in the snow. Seeing penguins was on my bucket list. So happy to see many of them at once so close. Most of them were on their belly, heads tucked into the snow. But a few of them were actively scratching their head with feet, flapping wings, and doing cute wobbly walks. Pretty amazing sight. We stood there for about an hour with big smiles on our faces, especially Robert who did an hourly penguin survey using a telescope from Crary lab the last few days.

Three dozen Grade A (Adelie) penguins.

Minako – 2nd January 2024