The Cape Bird Adélie penguin colony experienced a late breeding season which is thought to have led to a high mortality rate for chicks this summer despite good foraging conditions. The timing of breeding is critical for the Adélie penguin, especially for those breeding at colonies on Ross Island at the southern extent of the bird's range. Winter comes early for the Cape Bird Adélies and by the end of January the chicks need to be self-sufficient, the adults need to recover condition, moult, and travel north before McMurdo Sound re-freezes.
Each year an aerial survey is conducted by Phil Lyver and his team at Cape Bird. This year the survey was delayed to coincide with the first incubation shift when the male is sitting on the eggs and the female is at sea foraging. At this stage of the breeding cycle an accurate picture of the active breeders can be obtained and can be utilised in a long term database of the Cape Bird population. Phil Lyver and his team are working to understand the cause of the shift in the breeding cycle.
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