I spent a morning tucked up in the rocks on
Reeves Hill with a thermos of coffee and my camera. My photos don’t begin to
capture the beauty of these little birds as they darted and weaved performing
their acrobatics along the rock faces, often flying within metres of me.
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| Snow petrels pair in a rock crack. Photo: Jacque Comery |
Snow petrels Pagodroma nivea are an all-white, small
fulmarine petrel with conspicuous dark eyes, small black bill and bluish-grey
feet. They are circumpolar and are typically found near to pack ice. They are the
most southerly breeding bird species, breeding even further south than the
Emperor Penguin.
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| Snow petrel. Photo: Jacque Comery |
Snow petrels nest in colonies on sea cliffs, taking advantage
of crevices and cracks in rocks to build nests comprising a pebble lined scape.
At sea they will feed on fish, squid, molluscs, but will also feed on carrion
on land as well.
Skuas are the main predators of snow petrels, but they are
also at risk of losing chicks and eggs to heavy snow blocking access to their
nests.
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| Skua patrolling the cliffs. Photo: Jacque Comery |
Some birds remain at the colony all year, but the main
influx of birds to the colonies is from mid-September until early-November.
There are several colonies of snow petrels close to Casey,
and we have the joy of seeing these nimble birds performing their high speed
aerial ballet above Reeves Hill to the north of Station, their white feathers often
lit up against dark and brooding skies.
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| Snow petrel flying amoungst the rock ledges. Photo: Jacque Comery |
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| Take off. Photo: Jacque Comery |
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| Snow Petrel pair. Photo: Jacque Comery |
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| Gliding over the forming sea ice. Photo: Jacque Comery |
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| Aerial eleance. Photo: Jacque Comery |
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| Snow Petrels and a Skua. Photo: Jacque Comery |
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| Cliff top vantage point. Photo: Jacque Comery |
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| Aerial ballet. Photo: Jacque Comery |
