Tag Archives: Adelie

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Mozart’s Piano Concerto 27 an ah that

Adelie Penguin

Doubt is a quality that separates us from the rest of the animals. Can’t prove it, but I believe it.

There are few moments in my life when doubt doesn’t niggle away at the edges of contentment. The moment I took the photo to the right was one of those doubt-free moments. Sunday afternoon at the TSO was another extended moment. From 3 to 5 PM, I was awash in contentment as I was immersed in the context of Mozart’s Piano Concerto 27.
 
I’m not terribly musical. Can’t carry a tune. Don’t know how to pronounce Bach properly. But I can recognize quality.  I had a lot of help yesterday. The program was “Concerto 27 for Dummies” without the condescension.  Through a multi-media presentation the concert was put in context – historical, social and musical. In the second half the concerto was performed uninterrupted and in full. My mind and emotions were engaged. Doubt was banished. Marvellous.
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Playing with my camera settings

Adelies, Devil Island, AntarcticaHow many settings does your camera have? My Sony Alpha has more than I can count, and way more than I had used. That was until I visited Devil Island, Antarctica.

Our resident photographer, Sue Flood, who has a great reputation as a wildlife photographer, did a fine presentation that inspired me to take the time to change settings while shooting. You can see one of the results to the right. Foreground in focus, background out of focus. Avant-garde for me. Really, really ordinary for photographers as experienced as Sue.

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Petermann Island

 

Petermann Island, Antarctica

Petermann Island, Antarctica

The day I went ashore on Petermann Island, the sky was overcast overhead. In the distance, the sun broke through, illuminating the continental mountains. Primordial. Other-wordly. Ethereal. Breath-taking. And I found red snow!

Algae inhabit polar snow. For reasons still undiscovered the algae bloom in certain areas, while leaving other stretches of snow pristine. Most often the algae are green, but in rare instances they are red. They stain the snow, as you can see in this photo. This phenonmenon is best seen in February or March, as fall approaches in the southern polar region.

On Petermann is a Gentoo Penguin rookery – the most southerly in all the world. Adelie’s share the island with the Gentoo. When I was there, only moulting Adelie remained – their natural dapperness in disarray as the old feathers were replaced by the new. They do not eat during the process, losing large amounts of body fat as the transformation requires a great deal of energy.

One day I am going to produce an excellent water colour from my photos of Petermann. In the far distant future, as my skills are not up to the task yet.