The Vakil Saab from Antarctica- Tiny Ones

Adelie Penguins at Maitri

Confused?
Well… These are the Adelie penguins. Their black and white coat reminds one of the lawyer’s dress (as does that of any other penguins).
They are quite short at just above 2 feet. These are the only penguins found in Schirmacher Oasis, where Maitri and Novolazarevskaya are located. Usually found in groups, they live off the sea as does all of Antarctica’s wildlife. The krill forms the staple diet of the Adelie penguins.
During the winters, they migrate to lower latitudes in search of warmer lands. This is usually around April. They swim most of the way, and walk and toboggan where they find sea ice. They return to Antarctica in October. Navigating by the sun, their sense of direction is amazing. They return to the same nesting sites year after year.

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Penguin sunbathing in Priyadarshani lake in Schirmacher

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The Adelie penguins are fantastic swimmers. They can swim for hundreds of kilometers. Since they are dependent on the sea for food, they are found only in the coastal regions. When our ship moored on the fast sea ice, hundreds of Adelie penguins lined up as if to welcome us to their home. Small groups camped right next to the ship as long as it was there, as if to keep a watch on our activities. The Adelies are inquisitive creatures.
Their nests are made of stones, which are a rare commodity in Antarctica, most of which is only ice. This makes them come to Schirmacher oasis, although it is about 100 km inland. In summers, Schirmacher Oasis swarms with penguins that can be found everywhere, swimming in the lakes, sunbathing on the ice, sometimes even inside Maitri. The biggest penguin rookery in Schirmacher is on Lanka, an island of exposed rock right next to Schirmacher. One can find about a hundred penguins here (a far cry from the lakhs of penguins found in a full fledged penguin rookery).



Their sojourn to Schirmacher is also their undoing. They make their nests with stones in circular formations, lay their eggs, and the male and the female take turns to incubate them. While one incubates the eggs, the other goes to the sea to get food. After about 25 days, the eggs hatch, and noisy chicks come out. But the food is insufficient. For the first 7-8 days of their lives, they feed on the parents’ bile. But as the chicks grow, this becomes insufficient. With the parents taking too long to get food from the sea, which is 100 km away they grow weak. Then they either die, or are hunted down by the Skuas, the predatory bird of these parts. Once the kids die, the parents must head back to the sea, else they would also meet the same fate.
I followed up a penguin couple for about a month right from the time they made their nest and lined it with penguin guano. While a parent incubated its eggs, it would not even budge an inch from its place, though it would sometimes lie down on its stomach. It would be in the same posture even after 3-4 days. The hatching of the eggs is heralded by the noisy squeaking of the chicks, snuggled between the parent’s feet. The chirping continued for 4-5 days. Then one day, I witnessed 2 lifeless bodies between the parent’s feet. There was no chirping to greet me. But the parent remained faithfully in its place, as if hoping against hope that the chicks would revive. I hoped that the parent saw reason and returned to the sea, else it would also meet the same fate. Thankfully, it had left by my next visit 2 days later.

A Penguin Nest Streaked with Guano

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Adelie Penguin Incubating its Eggs

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Adelie Chicks

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Dead Chicks