Incubation begins!

Female Adélie Penguins looking for a good place to jump in the ocean after laying their eggs.

Clutch completion averaged 10 days late this year - November 25th instead of the usual November 15th. It was good to see all the dirty and skinny females finally get their chance to jump in the ocean and replenish reserves. They seemed pretty excited about it too. Adélies normally lay two eggs, but this year it seems the average may be just 1, which is a good plan given the late start they are getting. Perhaps because of reduced numbers of birds attempting to breed this year and the lower clutch sizes, chicks will still fledge at the normal (or even heavier than normal?) weight in February... we shall see.