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For several years I was lucky enough to study Adelie penguins near Palmer Station, a small US research base on Anvers Island (near the Antarctic Peninsula). Adelies begin their breeding cycle in October and the first eggs appear in November. Occasionally a late snowfall covers the birds as they sit on their eggs. This picture shows a small colony on the morning after such a storm. The penguins continue to incubate (they don't have much of a problem with the cold), and the eggs will be fine as long as the subsequent snowmelt doesn't flood the nests. A note about this picture: since I was doing a scientific study, I had permits to enter the colonies (which we did as little as possible, both to minimize disturbance and because Adelies are inclined to bite and flipper-slap at intruders and are strong enough to really hurt). During one visit to count eggs, I paused briefly to take this wide-angle photograph from much closer to the birds than casual visitors should approach.
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