The Wanderer Marion Island Newsletter December 2016

Island life, doing things on Marion Island

Mad Marion Medic

Bonus

Marion Gallery

Edition+

Dec 2016 1

Contents

Nov 2016 1

U

Christmasfrom Marion 73

Greetings

Christmas time…the firm favoured festive season formany. This holiday, for most of us in the real word, issteeped in a sort of festive pandemonium. Fromorganising family holidays, to gift shopping,preparing the feast, and making sure the Christmastree is decorated just right. Despite the stressesChristmas brings to many, it is eased in the presenceof loving friends and family, a time to take a muchneeded break from a long year and wind down inpreparation for the next one.

On Marion, the chaos of Christmas festivities arepresent too, but take on a different form. Instead ofpanicking about last minute shopping and queues,we had packages delivered with the ACE cruise,replete with its own challenges such as ourremoteness and weather reliant internet. Instead ofworrying about breaking our bank accounts insearch of personal gifts for 20 separate individuals,we participated in a very special Marion 73 SecretSanta where gifts were hand made (see the bonusedition). And much like everyone at home, beforewe could wind down for the Christmas break, westill had to meet our work deadlines.

weighing new-born fur seal pups, monitoringmultitudinous Macaroni colonies, deployingdevices on an array of Albatross species, and somuch more, the M73 team also performed astretcher rescue (see more about Team cohesionon pg. 26). Each person was involved in some way,whether showing emotional support, carrying thestretcher, preparing dinner or being the teamswaterboy on the 5 hour journey from KildalkeyHut to base. We all came together in this time ofneed, reaffirming our bond as a team and as afamily; underpinning the very spirit of Christmas-togetherness. I would like to congratulate M73 ona very successful rescue, and thank the DEA fortheir vigorous support during this time.

Amidst logger round islands, notebooks containingendless hours of data entry, vegetation plotsrequiring days of counting grasses, 10-hour rainyKiller Whale observations on the rock, counting and

Since so much happened in December, I havecreated a special bumper edition, featuringChristmas, the ACE cruise and New YearsCelebrations. We immensely enjoyed thecompany and excitement of the ACE cruise, aswell as our first and only Christmas as M73. It wastruly an “ACE” Christmas.

Dec 2016 3

News FlashFLEDGLINGS FLEDGE

We have come full circle with the WanderingAlbatrosses (Walbies)! When M73 arrived, monitoringof the chicks had begun whilst they were under theprotection of their parents 3m wing span. Fast forward8 months and they have morphed from fur balls intocurious adolescents. Most have already taken theirmaiden flight, including Fred (the resident Walbiewatched from our dining room window throughoutthe year as we sipped our morning coffee), only toreturn to Marion in 5-7years time. Good-bye not solittle guys, you will be missed.

The Weird and WonderfulOver the last month, some uncommon creatures to Marion, although not uncommon to the sub-Antarctic, have been spotted around the Island. The PFAIO birders’ Grey-Headed colonies havebeen receiving regular visits from a Black-Browed Albatross (top right), the sealers stumbled uponan Indian-Yellow nosed Albatross (left), and Kyle came across a ginger seal (bottom right)! See thefollowing page for another weird and wonderful species spotted by our O&C birders.

Dec 2016 3

A birders perspective:

Breeding is at the heart of life. It is afundamental prerequisite for a speciessurvival, as such, by means of evolution eachspecies has developed a breeding strategywhich works for that particular species.Pintado's have a monogamous breedingstrategy, meaning they will have exclusivelyone mate for at least a breeding season, andboth partners will share parentalresponsibilities in upbringing the young. Theylay one egg and will devote all their efforts totheir offspring’s survival. Whether one parentputs more effort in rearing the young than theother is debatable, what’s not debatablehowever, is the pleasure of their etherealpresence.

There are some places on the Island where youdon’t expect to find thriving life, but often ifyou pay a little more attention, you’ll seesomething worth your eyes. During ourNovember “around the Island” census, Albertand I where fortunate to come across fourbreeding pairs of Pintado petrels (formallyknown as the Cape petrel), something wedidn’t expect, let alone on the skirts of lavarocks. Pintado’s are a rare sight to come acrosson Marion, but are quite a spectacle when youdo see them, with their boldly patternedplumage and their pigeon like demeanour,they are hard to overlook. One can easilyspend the whole year on the Island withouteven a glimpse at most. Which makes theseindependent sightings a privilege. We spentsome time simply sitting, taking pictures andwatching a pair preening (the action of twobirds grooming each other). If I had to be abird on Marion, I’d be a Pintado, rare, beautifuland interesting.

by Deo Masotla

Dec 2016 4

Readers’ Round IslandMAP OF MARION ISLAND: Position of Grey-headed

TEXT AND PHOTOS BY CAMILLA KOTZÉ

‘Tis the season to be jolly, fala-lalala-

la-la-la-la!This Rudolph Red beanie is perfect

for spreading Christmas cheer

around base! Thanks to ‘model

of the month’, Kim Stevens, for this fabulous festive

look!

ltamate

Dec 2016 5

PUPS & THE HUT: Kyle Lloyd

by Camilla Kotzé

The Walk from Rook’s to Grey-headed

View of Grey-headed hut fromthe Ridge. Its named after thehundreds of Grey-headedAlbatross nesting on theRidge; a great place to enjoya hot beverage whilst sittingquietly amongst the colony.Watch your head for the low-flyers, you will hear thembefore you see them, ZOOM!

Grey-headed hut is the prototype for the new hut designon the island. It is embellished with a few improvements;Orange, Sliding door, Solar L.E.D. lights, Rain-watercollection, and a Raised curved roof.This respectively means a prettier, safer (door won’t ripyour arm out of its socket on a windy day), andenvironmentally sustainable hut (using solar panels andgutters for accumulating power and water), with ampleroom to manoeuvre on the top bunk without bonking yourhead in the middle of the night.

Readers’ Round Island

You start the journey with anascent onto the escarpment,keeping the ocean on your right.Along the way you will passRooks Peninsula and numerouswaterfalls plummeting over thecliff edges.In less than two hours you will beat Grey-headed Ridge and layeyes upon the hut for the firsttime. Nestled in a lava freedepression amongst the blacklavas of the Santa Rosa Valley,Grey-headed is perfectly placed.But before you get to the hut,

you have to descend the Ridge. Not toworry; a ladder is provided for the cliffsection, so no need to resort to a make-shiftparachute using your hiking bags rain cover!

ROOKS PENINSULA: Photo by Alta Zietsman

Photo by Camilla Kotzé

Photo by Kim Stevens

Photo by Kim Stevens

Photo by Kim Stevens

Dec 2016 6

MAXIMUM WIND GUST 171,7 km/h

TOTAL RAINFALL 146,4 mm

HIGHEST IN 24 HOURS 24 mm

TOTAL DAYS WITH RAIN 27 days

TOTAL DAYS > 1 MM 21 days

TOTAL SUNSHINE 119.6 hours

AVE MAX MINTEMPERATURE (°C) 5.5 8.3 2.8

PRESSURE (hPa) 995.5 1018.8 968

HUMIDITY (%) 79 100 42

Photo by Camilla Kotzé

November

PizzaIngredients

Self raising flour: 250gOil: 1tbsp

Condensed Milk: 1tbspMilk Powder: 2tbspWarm Water: 1cup

by Alta Zietsman & Marileen Carstens

5. Add water, chutney, dried onion, mushrooms and

soya mince together in a pot and cook until soya

mince is not runny.

6. Spread soya mince over dough.

7. Add grated cheese over the topping.

8. Fry pizza in pan (covered with lid) until cheese is

melted.

ToppingsSoya Mince: 1 packet

Chutney: 1tbspTomato Sauce: 1tbsp

Mushrooms: 1tinWater: 1cup

Cheese: 1 block

Method1. Mix all the ingredients for the dough together until

dough makes a ball. Add more water or flour if needed.

2. Roll dough out into a circle that will fit into a frying pan.

3. Fry rolled out dough in a frying pan. Flip dough to

ensure that both sides are brown.

4. Spread out tomato sauce evenly on one side of the

dough.

HUT RECIPE OF THE MONTH

Dec 2016 7

John Cooper, Antarctic Legacy of South Africa, Department of Botany & Zoology, Stellenbosch University

In the north-western corner

PHOTO: Greg Hofmeyr stands within the shelter below Laekop in 1992

Below Laekop but some distance from the seaamong the black lava, lies a little-known historicalsite, dating prior to South Africa’s annexation of thePrince Edward Islands in 1948. Whatis thought to be this site was firstdescribed by biologist R.W. ‘Bob’Rand who was on the island withthe Eighth Team (M8) over thesummer of 1951/52. He reportedthe remains of a shelter with planksand pottery north of Triegaardt Baybut did not leave a description of the site’s locality

Marthán Bester (M33, M38 & M43, 1976, 1981 &1986) also came across a historical site away fromthe coast below Laekop while on a round-island inOctober/November 1976. Marthán remembersseeing some canvas at the site he found. About adecade later, the cat shooters walked just about thewhole island and a historical site in the generalvicinity was then known as has been reported to theAntarctic Legacy of South Africa by André Botha(M46 &M47, 1989-1990).

visible behind him in the photo, along with somewooden planks making a rough shelter. He did notremember seeing canvas or pottery.

But the story does not end there. On seeing Greg’sphoto this month, André says that this is not the sitehe found, so maybe there are two historical sitesbelow Laekop. He further reports “I found someplanks and what looked like an enamel-type bowlsticking out. I went back to the Laekop hut andfetched a spade and returned to the site. The sitehas no clear natural markings and I rememberfeeling lucky that I found it again. After a dig ortwo I found some old bottles. The site isapproximately 200 m inland, between a maze oftypical Laekop terrain.” Archaeologist Jaco Boshoff,with André as a guide, tried to find this site duringthe 2011 relief but they were unsuccessful.

Why a shelter – or shelters - was built away fromthe coast is not known, although perhaps somesealers took an inland short cut and needed toovernight. Nearly all the known historical sites onMarion Island from the era of exploitation of fur andelephant seals dating from c. 1804 to 1930 aresituated right on the coast or within a few tens ofmetres of it.

What is now desired is for team members who gointo the field and have a few hours to spare while inthe vicinity to have a look around among thevegetated black lava below Laekop. Any sheltersfound should be described and photographed andtheir co-ordinates taken. However, exposedartefacts, included wooden planks, should only beexamined visually and not physically handled,moved or collected in terms of the islands’management plan.

With thanks to Marthán Bester, Jaco Boshoff, André Botha and Greg Hofmeyr.

Frustratingly, no photographs have come to lightuntil very recently when Greg Hofmeyr (M49, M51& M63, 1992, 1994 & 2003) contacted ALSA withthe picture illustrated here, taken in 1992 abouthalfway between Laekop and the coast. Gregdescribes a stone wall, about 1.5 m high, which is

of Marion Island lies the Devil’s Footprint.A region of tumbled and partially vegetated blacklava ridges running down to the coast between CapeDavis and Triegaardt Bay, it is little visited, being offthe usual round-island route and away from the morenotable seabird colonies and seal aggregations. Alittle distance above these ridges is Laekop, a redscoria mound where in the cat shooter days a skicabin was located nearby, and which lies on onecommonly hiked routes between the field hutssituated near Cape Davis and Mixed Pickle Cove.

.

Dec 2016 8

A selection of excellent photographs taken by our team members

WINNER‘Blue-Steel’ by Kim Stevens

This Walbie Chick has an unusual ocular rarity caused by abnormal melanin levels, known as heterochromiairidus, giving it a single blue eye. Heterochromia can either be inherited or caused by disease or injury.

2nd & 3rd

TOP: ‘Arctic Tern’ by Nasreen KhanBOTTOM: ‘Ocean Teal’ by Kyle Lloyd

Dec 2016 10

Highly CommendedTOP: ‘The Swanky Shag’ by Nasreen KhanBOTTOM: ‘Walbie Chick’ by Kim Stevens

Dec 2016 11

Highly CommendedTOP: ‘Cuddle Puddle’ by Kyle Lloyd

BOTTOM: ‘Weigh Weaners while the sun shines’ by Kyle Lloyd

Dec 2016 12

Highly CommendedTOP: ‘Moving in for the Kill’ MIDDLE: ‘Blowing Bubbles’

BOTTOM: ‘Bubble Aftermath” by Kyle Lloyd

On the 15th of December, apod of Killer Whales camepast Kill Point causing araucous in the ocean. Thetea drinkers watching fromthe dining window in basenoticed the activity on thewater; alerting the baseinhabitants to a free KillerWhale show in the bay. Theflocks of Giant Petrels werea dead give away to theKiller Whales activity, asthey hang around, hopingfor scraps of flood to floattheir way.

The whales had cordonedoff a shoal of fish in the bayand continuously blewbubbles to stun them,bringing them to thesurface. It was a wondrousspectacle which continuedfor at least an hour.

Just another day on MarionIsland folks ;-)

Dec 2016 13

Highly CommendedTOP: ‘Landfall Beach Master Champion (two breeding seasons in a row)’ by Kyle Lloyd

BOTTOM: ‘The Landfall Loser’ by Kyle Lloyd

Dec 2016 14

Highly CommendedTOP: ‘Passsionate Preening’ by Kyle Lloyd

BOTTOM: ‘Bullard South Bathing’ by Kyle Lloyd

Dec 2016 15

Highly CommendedTOP: ‘The Hunter and the Prey’ by Camilla KotzéBOTTOM: ‘Skewers left-overs’ by Camilla Kotzé

Dec 2016 16

Highly Commended; GP three ways:TOP: by Phillip Chibage

BOTTOM: by Camilla Kotzé

Middle: by Kyle Lloyd

Dec 2016 17

Highly CommendedTOP: ‘Grey Petrel’ by Kim Stevens

BOTTOM: ‘White-Chinned Petrel Pair’ by Camilla Kotzé

Dec 2016 18

Highly CommendedTOP: ‘Kelp Gull in Flight’ by Camilla KotzéBOTTOM: ‘Posing Paddy’ by Camilla Kotzé

Dec 2016 19

Highly CommendedTOP: ‘Hooker Beach’ by Kyle Lloyd

BOTTOM: ‘Orca of the Ocean’ by Nasreen Khan

Dec 2016 20

Highly CommendedTOP: ‘Base Sunrise’ by Louise Gadney

BOTTOM: ‘Greenhill Sunset’ by Nasreen Khan

Dec 2016 21

Nov 2016 1

Highly CommendedTOP LEFT: ‘Babbling Brook’ by Camilla Kotzé; TOP RIGHT: ‘Ice Patterns’ by Kyle Lloyd; MIDDLE RIGHT:

‘Amethyst Ocean’ by Camilla KotzéBOTTOM: ‘Van den Boogart Reflections’ by Kim Stevens

Dec 2016 22

Highly CommendedTOP LEFT: ‘Mating Pair’ by Louise

GadneyMIDDLE RIGHT: ‘Skua Egg’ by Kyle

LloydBOTTOM LEFT: ‘Cotula Mouse’ by

Camilla KotzéBOTTOM: ‘Aphid’ by Kyle Lloyd

Dec 2016 23

Highly Commended‘Supermoon on November 14th as seen from

Marion Island’ by Nasreen Khan

Dec 2016 24

-Thando’s white Christmas in October

October got us singing ‘jingle bells, jingle all the way’; wehad the best snow ever. Louise had this brilliant idea oftaking out the Christmas tree to take pictures just in casewe don’t get such beautiful snow in December. Her ideawas met with great excitement from Travis and I, snowsoldiers, braving a cold afternoon in the name ofChristmas. Who would have thought a Zulu girl from KZN,where chances of snow are 0 in a 100, would come toMarion and experience God’s awesomeness. Seeing snowfor the first time in my 23 years on this earth was supperamazing and was met with gratitude and excitement. I’veseen so much beauty on this island, things back homewe’re not privileged to see or experience. For example,we don’t just wake up to the sound of pups (Mixed picklehut), it’s always chickens, especially in my grandmother’shouse though I miss it. We don’t have such amazing plantdiversity, even though its limited but still it’s quite nice,though I miss seeing a tree-. We don’t get to walk above5km just to get to get to your site and along the way seeamazing sites, though I miss seeing a car-. Only left withless than 5 months here and already I’m trying to captureand see more sites. Though it hasn’t snow that much inDecember, I am still holding on to my dream of a whiteChristmas, please mother Marion grant my dream-. I willtake this time and send a shout out to my family theMhlongo’s and the Buthelezi’s (Mostly my mommyThandi, my sisters Skhulile, masie and Lungelo, mybrothers Khetha and Wandile, family babies Ziyanda andSbonga; I love you dearly), and all the team (M73)member’s families wishing them a fabulous Christmasand a prosperous New Year, I know you miss us and wemiss and love you all even more.

To Susan Vosloo: Thank you for always sharing

your kind words of encouragement

with the team, we really appreciate all

you do.

Years back, a psychologist told me ‘toeverything there is an end’. Thissounded almost harsh to me, I thought‘really!’ but with time I realised this istrue…Our lives have lots of beginningsand endings, we have seasons in ourlife, some last long and some finish fast.Some are wonderful and some havehardships, the wonderful seasons are sonice and we want them to last foreverbut it is in the hard times that we reallylearn. The bad times teach us to bepatient, to depend on others forsupport. How we deal with this seasonis the key. Love never fails; neverunderestimate this, we are created tobe with people and love one another.Love is powerful and is the same aslight, light brings life, plants need lightto grow and so do we. Enjoy this festiveseason and make every day count.

Shalom!!!! Susan

“The moral of the story is that, the end results are conclusively positive and satisfactory”

Team Cohesion

Text completo (Full Text)

Team cohesion is the degree to which individualmembers want to contribute to the group's abilityto continue as a functioning work unit. Members ofcohesive teams have emotional and social bondsthat link them to one another and to the group as awhole. These ties enable members to sustain theirefforts on behalf of the team and make it morelikely that the team will achieve its goals.

by JJ Skelete

Consequences of Cohesion

Team cohesion is related to a range of positive andnegative consequences. Cohesion creates a strongersense of commitment to goals, which motivateshigher individual effort and performance. Membersof more cohesive groups tend to communicate withone another in a more positive fashion than those ofless cohesive groups. As a result, members ofcohesive groups often report higher levels ofsatisfaction and lower levels of anxiety and tension.This can improve decision making and encouragegreater participation. Finally, by maintainingmembership cohesive teams are able to continue topursue new goals once they have fulfilled theiroriginal purpose. This makes allocation of resourcesmore efficient, since an existing cohesive team canperform well and more quickly than a newly formedone.

How Cohesion Develops

Team cohesion develops over time. Social scientistshave explained the phenomenon of groupcohesiveness in different ways. Some suggest thatcohesiveness among group members develops froma heightened sense of belonging, as well as fromcollaboration and interdependence. Others notethat cohesion comes from the interpersonal andgroup-level attraction common between peoplewho share similar backgrounds and interests.Because teams have clear boundaries regardingmembership, barriers to belonging also contributeto cohesion

Dec 2016 26

As a Christian I know I am making a difference,growing in character and attitude. “Do not go backto something God has already rescued you from”. Imay not walk into the field as much as I would likebut I gain joy listening to the team marvellingabout their experiences on this amazing island. Ioften love to just sit, watching the sea, its ebb andflow with the hypnotic drift of the kelp that clings tothe rocky shores. Snuggling into the blechnumslopes, one can almost hear the plants growing andI wonder about the busy microscopic life beneathme. When the wind is still, the island can be verysilent. Bird’s wheel and whirl overhead but do notcry out. It can be quite surreal, soothingly peaceful,surprisingly comforting and not lonely. It is as if Iwas living interdependently with the environment,feeling a profound sense of connection with life.“We are all one, no matter in what form, space ortime”. The orcas, seals and penguins just carry on asthey have always done but I still ask the question-What goes on in the minds of animals.

I have been introduced as a Mad Marion Medicand well hello that is me. Not totally mad I canassure you and it actually representsM=Meticulous and methodical A=Attention toD=Detail. Characteristic qualities that often annoyothers but for my entire fellow nurses whom maybe following my Marion Adventures, they knowTHAT these INGRAINED NURSING HABITS SAVELIVES. “Life is a JOY when you Love what you do”.

So a little about myself and how I got to be part ofM73. My first over-wintering Expedition, M712014/2015, opened my eyes to this wondrousisland with all its moods, beauty and God givencreatures. Although I have nursed in the Operatingtheatres, Intensive Care and Trauma units for thepast 30 plus years, my heart very much belongsout in nature. I like to consider myself an avidamateur conservationist. Back in South Africa Isupport SANPARKS as an Honorary Ranger for theTable Mountain National Park region, where if I amnot helping with their Junior Ranger program youwill then find me patrolling the African Penguins atSimons Town Boulders beach Sanctuary orremoving graffiti from Historical sites on themountain or hacking to remove alien vegetation.

But I am transgressing. Ok back to being the M73medic.I applied quite late, so prayed night and daythat I would be needed. “Trust in the Lord with allyour Heart and lean not on your ownunderstanding, in all your ways acknowledge Himand he will make your paths straight”, Proverbs 3:5-6. My desire was answered so here I am blessedagain to experience another over-winteringExpedition, my Marion Adventure part II.I have leftbehind my two adult daughters, a married son inAmerica, a treasured granddaughter, a devotedMum, sister and brothers, nieces and nephews andthree irate cats. As cats go, everyone knows they donot forgive quickly and as this is their second over-wintering boarding session, I expect I will be treatedwith sullen disdain despite their adopted Mum,Carol Mancktelon giving them adoring care.

It has been an eventful and quite busy year as theMedic but I have thrived. “Worry ends when Faithbegins”. You are exactly where God wants you to beat this very moment. Every experience is part of hisDivine Plan”

Dec 2016 27

gerald

alta

birthdays

Dec 2016 1

louise

Challenging myself to be first and foremost self-questioning. I have a romantic need that seeks toconnect our marauding humankind to the gentlevoices of our external world, to recognise our ownhumility, to learn from nature. It is a profoundenigma that perhaps these last 50 years of Researchon Marion will give some understanding to thesemost intriguing creatures with which we share ourplanet.

As this is a Christmas edition I cannot go withoutsaying “And she will give birth to a son and you areto give him the name Jesus, because he will save hispeople from their sins” Matthew 1:18-21.With still afew months to go I reassure you with this “thegreatest adventures of all are the ones that bring ushome to those we love”. “Be joyful in hope, patientin affliction and faithful in prayer” Romans 12:12. Wewill soon be home and know that we know that youlove us.

Dec 2016 28