The Emperor Penguin colony of Crown Bay. This image shows part of the rarely visited Ragnhild Emperor Penguin colony in Queen Maud Land. The colony was discovered by Alain Hubert in 2012 through an analysis of satellite imagery. I flew a drone to capture aerial images to obtain an accurate count of the chicks from which the number of breeding pairs can be inferred as each breeding pair produces a single chick. If the sea-ice breaks up early and the chicks have not yet developed their water-proof plumage the chicks can be lost and the Emperors have to wait for another long dark frigid winter to try again. This image captures the precarious situation of breeding colonies exposed to early sea-ice breakup.
Date Taken: | 11.2023 |
Date Uploaded: | 11.2023 |
Photo Location: | Antarctica |
Camera: | L2D-20c |
Copyright: | © David Sinclair |