Category

Birdlife

Location

Snow Hill Island, Antarctica

Gear

Canon EOS R5, RF100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM

Description

The feet of Emperor penguins (Aptenodytes forsteri) are fascinating. The scales mean that these touch the snow rather than the fleshy part of the foot, reducing heat loss. Both adults and chicks often sit back on their heels as this area is better insulated. The birds can control the blood flow to their feet and have a counter-current heat exchange system in their legs which reduces heat loss. This chick had positioned itself between two adults which were not necessarily its parents. We flew to the rookery by helicopter, landing a safe distance away and walking through the deep fresh snow to get to the birds. There were chicks of all ages, many of which did not understand the 5-meter rule! Because of avian flu restrictions we could not kneel or sit on the snow which restricted the angle from which I could shoot. I had to search the colony to find a relatively isolated trio of adults and chick. Rather than the traditional view of the heads, I decided to go for the other extreme. The species is listed as Near Threatened and decreasing by the IUCN. I converted this to black and white to emphasise the birds' colouration.

Photographer

Claire Waring

Social Media

Instagram: @wildwaring

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