24/09/2024
At time of publishing, the colony is still in its ‘crèching’ period. The dedicated parents are feeding their chicks and many are well-grown. By the middle of December the first young penguins will start to lose their baby feathers and head out to sea, a move that will continue through January. Then, they will remain in the ocean until they become adults, and are ready to reproduce, after three or four years. The breeding adults will return to Atka Bay in April. Sometimes they return a little early and have to wait until the ice freezes before they can colonise their temporary home. In 2017, the penguins spent a couple of days on an ice float, going in and out with the tide until the ice was stable.
In terms of the wider outlook for Emperor Penguins, the sea ice is crucial to their ability to survive. The temporary ‘fast ice’ forms sometime in March to April and lasts until December or January in Atka Bay. It is accessible for the colony and gives them a platform to breed, survive the winter, and for the chicks to grow and fledge.