Delhi-based psychiatrist Sudhir Khandelwal is spending three-and-a-half months in the Antarctica doing research at the Indian base station there. He’s been posting (through a complicated route of emailing his posts to his son in the US) on Himalayan Adventurer. Thanks to Binoo K. John’s column Log of the Blog on Mail Today for pointing this site out.
Unfortunately the chick did not survive. I myself discovered it under some stones away from the nesting area. I felt very sad and could not do anything. I just sat there on a stone praying. I had wished that both chicks should grow and fly away from here to their distant destination. I am not sure what caused its death. It could not have been due to lack of food or weather. There is evidence of availability of plenty of food; there are remnants of freshly killed snow petrels (skua’s pet game bird) strewn all over. So far weather has also not been too inclement. I wonder whether its elimination was through the process of natural selection. It is known to occur in case of Adelie penguin when it lays two eggs. It selects the fitter chick to survive in a very practical but merciless manner. I shall tell you its story some time.
Similar Posts:
- Scrabulous debate may rewrite the rules of the game
- The girls’ guide to flirting and shopping
- Wildlife photographer of the year
- Bhutan trek: Close to heaven
- ‘There are many tiger widows here’
0 Responses to “Postcards from the end of the earth”