January at McMurdo

Wow, its been a long time since I have posted. The holiday season went by very quickly. And now, my Antarctic adventure is almost over. I will be leaving the ice at the end of January (and be going on a very lonnnggg vacation).

I promise I will talk about holidays soon. But, I think I owe an entry on one of Antarctica's more common events...the presence of a skua.

These are the nastiest birds you ever could meet. Cross a seagull and a crow, give it more attitude, and a roach's ability to survive and you have a skua. They will eat anything, and have found quite a home at McMurdo. Over the years they have learned that the "silly red penguins (us in our big red coats)" who live in this "colony" are harmless, and so come and do what they want. We aren't allowed to bother them. So, they sit in the middle of the road.

Eat anything they can get their claws on

And are pretty much a menace. They will attack people for food. You learn not to carry open food outside on the galley trays because they recognize them. I have heard of nasty pranks of sticking pieces of meat in someone's coat hood so they will be dive bombed by skuas. And, on occasion, they will stalk you.

Of course, we all secretly love them because its a living thing in Antarctica and all of their antics are pretty funny when not directed at you.

A happy 2011 to all.