Warning: Images may contain distressing levels of cuteness

Summer is the time when various animal census' take place on Macquarie Island. Most recently it was the turn of the Fur Seal pups. Every January, the TASPAWS ranger team (and assorted volunteers) conduct 3 counts, each a week apart, to keep an eye on the breeding success of various species of ‘furries'. The count includes Antarctic, Sub-Antarctic and NZ Fur Seals, and takes place all around the beaches on North Head - the small part of the island north of our station.

Fur Seals were hunted to annihilation on Macquarie Island in the early 1800s (estimated 200,000 killed). They kept their distance until returning in the mid-1950s and are making a slow but steady recovery. 

I was involved in the first count, and we found well over 300 pups (all 10/10 on the cuteness scale) on the western side of North Head.

I won't say it was an easy day out - a combination of 40 knot winds, steep and treacherous hills to clamber over, and some very aggressive adult seals to run from. It's tricky to keep count when you are having to fend off charges from all directions. It was pretty amazing though.

The first view of the seal colony as we descended into the bay. Counting them looked simple enough.

And it's not exactly work when the object of your count looks like this. The only trouble is trying to get anything done when you can't stop taking photographs.

But then mum spots us and the colony goes on high alert

This spunky dude is a sub-Antarctic male seal in his prime. They have quite distinctive features - the white face and mohawk - so are pretty much the only sub-type I can readily identify. He isn't terribly happy about our census efforts.

The pups try out their growling too. Very hard not to laugh.

Total poser

Out of the tussocks and onto the beach - a male fur seal, in his breeding prime, guards his harem. You definitely don't want to get too close. 

A bit of regal roaring to warn us off

Meanwhile a female feeds her pup nearby

But this mum has had enough - "get off my rock!"

A tagged male. At certain times they rapidly poke their tongues in and out - not sure what it means but makes for some comical images.

Just back in from a paddle

Do I have something on my face?

And just more cuteness really

And to finish, a fur seal family portrait in the sun. Not a bad day at all!

Christmas on the island

While we missed out on the onslaught of Christmas advertising, late-night shopping and Boxing Day sales (thank god) Santa did not forget us here on Macquarie Island. 

Preparations for the day began a week in advance when I decided to try making Christmas fruit mince and a plum pudding (apparently both are supposed to be made 6 months in advance, whoops!). Food prep continued to be the theme of the week with everyone lending a hand in the kitchen at different times under the patient guidance of chef Annette. Thank goodness she used to teach cooking classes and can cater for all skill levels...

Outside the kitchen, the trades workshops were busy late into the evenings with people making various secret santa gifts.

The day itself got off to an excellent start with brunch catered by me and Ali (our station leader) in order to give our long suffering chef a bit of a break. Santa and his sleigh then arrived in the early afternoon to hand out gifts, including an orange for every person (the last oranges we'll have until March).

The main Christmas meal got started with canapes at 5pm, and the food just kept coming. In the end we only got through about 1/4 of it, but fortunately the left overs were steadily demolished over the next week. And the best news of all - it turns out Christmas fruit mince and plum pudding taste just as good a week old as the usual 6-months!

Ali adds her pressies to the tree. Everyone on station participated in secret santa - given we can't just pop down to the shops there were some excellent handmade presents made.

Even the elephant seal weaners get in on the Christmas spirit

Food prep was in full swing in the days leading up to Christmas. Mel and Danielle work on dessert options.

Along with the food prep came plenty of dishes. Angus (a vegetarian) rocks his turkey hat while sorting out some of the pile.

It wouldn't be a true AAD (Austrlian Antarctic Division) Christmas without a technical problem - Norbert and Pete sort out a fire alarm panel fault on Christmas morning. 

Santa arrives a la Polaris. 

A santa beard doesn't get much better than this. Greg (aka - St Nicholas) hands out gifts.

Just a little bit of the Christmas spread. Mmmm.

One big happy Macca family. And enough food to last the next week!

The weaners take to the water

Here on Macca the elephant seal weaners have spent the last month or so of getting up to a whole lot of no good around station, and causing an incredible racket doing it. A few weeks ago their hunger must have got the better of them, as one day they decided it was time to venture into the water. 

Since then, every morning and evening the shallows are full of tumbling slippery bodies, hauling themselves in and out of the kelp and trying out all their new swimming moves. After several months of living on land (with bodies clearly not designed to), is must be an incredible experience to finally enter the water.

For a couple more weeks the weaners will stay on the island while they build their swimming strength up; once they feel ready they'll depart and spend the next year at sea before returning to the island next summer to malt.

This short window gives us ample time to spend a couple of evenings 'wading with weaners' - an absolute highlight of our year here.

Vicky and Angus suit up pre-wade. Angus' facial expression demonstrates the significant unpleasantness of getting oneself into a shared drysuit (something to do with a combination of years of accumulated sweat and the discomfort of squeezing your head through the way-too small hole at the top).

Ali (our station leader) keeps watch. We have to have 3 lookouts monitoring the water for an hour beforehand to ensure there are no orcas about.

The water is bubbling with pups

Tim makes a few new friends

Not a bad way to spend an evening! The pups seem to really enjoy it too.

A particularly friendly young chap

Rich takes a selfie

Half the station in the water. The pups still outnumber us 20 to 1.

Danielle is in love. Straight after this, one of the summer rangers (who is also a vet) informed us that the pups carry quite high rates of Tb. I'm just waiting for her to develop night sweats...

Norbert and Luke (one of the new summer crew) enjoy the attention

Annie (the aforementioned ranger and vet) keeps her mouth quite a bit further away

And right on cue (the following evening) a family of orcas arrive. They are now here almost every day, with family groups of 5-7 teaching their young ones the art of the hunt. It's incredible to watch and very hard to know who to gun for.

It's all very circle of life and we just happen to have front-row seat. Angus' superzoom lens caught this rather distressing image - yes, that's a weaner screaming as the large male orca grabs it.

A very happy orca (photo again courtesy of Angus)

My medical minions

A lot of the time, being the doctor for 14 fit and well people can be a rather quiet job. Most of my consults are for aches and pains - pulled knees and rolled ankles (pretty much nowhere except inside is flat on this island), although I do get a smattering of other medical problems, and a bit of dentistry on the side too.

Despite my rather civilised working day, it's always in the back of my mind that any moment someone could have a major injury, or become seriously unwell. I think this is one of the few medical jobs in the world where you are the solo doctor on call 24 hours a day for 365 days straight.

In addition to this, we are over 1500km from Hobart, and only accessible by ship, so if a medical evacuation was needed, it could take a week or longer depending on weather.

Fortunately our medical facility here is extremely well equipped, with an emergency room, a ward, an operating theatre, a dental room, laboratory and radiology equipment. We could theoretically provide ICU level care with the equipment and medications on hand, but you can only do so much with one doctor.

However I'm not quite alone, as I have 4 minions - more formally known as lay surgical assistants (LSAs) ready to help me.

Back in Australia a few months before we leave, 4 tradies are selected to undergo 2-weeks training at the Royal Hobart Hospital. They usually have no experience in the medical field at all, but they quickly learn the basics of how to assist in a surgery - both with the anaesthetics, and with the surgery itself.

Introducing:
Angus - usually a meteorological technician, one of my anaesthetic LSAs
Pete - usually an electrician, the second anaesthetic LSA
Greg - usually a plumber, my scout nurse
Chris - usually a diesel mechanic, my scrub nurse

During the year here I build on their base knowledge with monthly training sessions to keep their skills up, and teach them how to help in other medical situations such as someone being severely injured, having a medical emergency, or even just needing a filling.

What better way to learn how to suture and staple then on a lamb we are planning to spit-roast that night. From left: Pete, Angus and Chris

Chris does a lovely running stitch while Pete masters a vertical mattress suture. In a live situation I'd get them to change out of their high vis first...

Angus has a go at using one of the tiniest needles we have (usually for eye surgery). It doesn't go terribly well.

In another session we set up the theatre from scratch ready for a surgery. Greg and Chris work out how to test the diathermy machine.

Pete and Angus run the (rather vintage) ventilator through its paces. They definitely look more authentic in scrubs.

Nurse Pete attaches monitoring to our patient Danielle in the pre-op room (actually the emergency room/lab/my office - space is at a premium here)

Greg checks off the instrument count list as Chris makes sure everything is ready to go. 

Our patient (with faux-appendicitis) is wheeled through into the operating theatre. Manoeuvring the trolley around the corners was probably the hardest bit of the exercise. 

And in a more recent session we try out plaster casting. Pete tries out a below elbow cast while Angus is on standby with the scissors (I'm not sure why)

Having been the patient Greg now tries out his skills on my leg - and a rather nice job too

Angus and Pete posing with plaster. As you can tell our sessions are very formal.

And the most nerve racking bit of the session for me - Angus wielding the plaster saw. Fortunately I remain intact.

Spring has sprung

Spring on Macquarie Island is heralded by the arrival of hundreds of mature bull elephant seals. Those in the prime of mating potential (usually around 10-12 years old) battle it out for control over a patch of beach. Their fights are short but vicious, with most sporting an array of old scars, fresh wounds, and bits of missing nose. Those successful are named 'beach masters' and they spend the next few weeks holding on to their little patch of territory until the arrival of their harems.

Right on a cue, the ladies arrive. Thousands of female elephant seals, heavy with pregnancy, haul themselves out of the waves to take up residence in their harem of choice. They leave it right until the last minute, and often it's only a day or two from when they arrive until when they give birth.

Birthing itself is over in under a minute and a 10kg barking pup in oversized skin adds to chaos. The noise coming from these harems is incredible. Within 5-6 weeks the 10kg has become 40kg (I can only imagine the calorie content of elephant seal breast milk) and the pup becomes a weaner. After that the females get a rather brutal re-impregantion (no rest for the wicked) and head out to sea again to replenish some of the weight they have lost. Meanwhile the weaners take up residence all over station, causing havoc and getting into every imaginable nook and cranny.

That's where we are up to at the moment, but come early late November/early December they'll be hungry enough that they decide it's time to learn how to swim.

Until the next installment...

Back in early September the bulls starting arriving and selecting their prime bits of coastline. This one decides I'm there to steal his patch and has a bit of a roar. I leave him to it.

A small break in the fighting and a bit of an itch to sort out. Very Jabba the Hutt.

Back to the fighting. The size and bulbous-ness of the nose indicates the maturity of the bull. This one is definitely in his breeding prime. A couple of scuffs as evidence to his recent fights.

A view down the east coast beaches near station - each harem is spread along 50-150m, with a gap before the next one. The mums are the light brown colour and pups are dark brown/black. The beach master is in the middle towards the back. Challenges from other bulls are frequent, so any good beach master sleeps with one eye open.

Too cute. It's hard to imagine this little chap growing into a 3-tonne blubber slug.

Lots of excess skin to grow into. Just as well, I don't think their skin could stretch fast enough to accommodate how quickly they grow.

Milk bubble dreams

They seem to feed almost non-stop for the first few weeks. A rare reprieve for mum - just long enough to digest a bit.

And before you know it, baby buddha emerges. This pup is probably 5-6 weeks old compared to those above who are around 1-2 weeks. The transformation is pretty profound.

Now that there are weaners around (meaning some females are back on heat) things hot up again with the beach masters. Surprisingly most challengers back down after a solid period of roaring, and you don't see as many physical fights as I thought there would be.

Of course the Orca now arrive. They know weaner feasts aren't too far away.

Gratuitous cute shot number 1: A slightly only weaner, working his blue steel

Gratuitous cute shot number 2: Working the upside down look

Gratuitous cute shot number 3: Trying out his very threatening roar