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Every summer,
tens of thousands of tourists

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flock to a peculiarly British
outpost on the Antarctic Peninsula.

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They are drawn here
by the spectacle of gentoo penguins,

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and a post office from where
they can send a postcard home.

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The post office is staffed by
a dedicated team who, over the next

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four months, will live as neighbours
to these extraordinary birds.

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But the penguins' story
is not always picture-postcard.

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In-fighting,

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marital squabbles

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and daylight robbery are routine...

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SQUAWKING

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..and growing chicks
must overcome many hurdles

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if they are to survive to adulthood.

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This unique backdrop,

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where people and penguins
live cheek by beak, offers

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an intimate view into the life of
one of the world's most loved birds.

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Welcome to Penguin Post Office.

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It's early November - summer
on the Antarctic Peninsula -

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and around 3,000 gentoo penguins
are returning from an intensive

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spell of deep sea fishing to their
breeding grounds at Port Lockroy.

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The gentoos are in a rush
to establish nest sites.

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The longer days and warmer
temperatures encourage the penguins

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to start the business of finding
a mate to breed and raise young.

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Many will have to walk
the best part of two miles

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in search of a suitable
nest site -

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an arduous journey for a bird
with big feet and very short legs.

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But what makes this colony of
gentoos particularly unusual

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is that every year they choose
to take up residence

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alongside Port Lockroy's
other summer inhabitants...

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People.

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An advance party from the United
Kingdom Antarctic Heritage Trust

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has arrived at Port Lockroy

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in preparation for
the forthcoming tourist season.

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This year, the water surrounding
their island base

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is still frozen solid

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and so, like the penguins,
they take a path across the sea ice.

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Their destination
is a remote British outpost

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with an extraordinary history.

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Today, it's the most popular
tourist attraction in Antarctica.

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The big draw being penguins
and the Penguin Post Office.

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Welcome to Port Lockroy!

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Port Lockroy is about 700 miles
to the south of Argentina and Chile

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and lies in the heart
of the Antarctic Peninsula,

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which forms the northernmost
part of mainland Antarctica.

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Here on the island,

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this building houses the world's
most southerly public post office...

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..a charitable gift shop

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that supports a number
of Antarctic heritage sites...

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..and a museum dedicated
to Port Lockroy's history

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that goes back to the dawn
of Antarctic exploration.

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Port Lockroy was first discovered in
the early 1900s by French explorers

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as a safe place to anchor
and shelter from harsh storms.

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Later, whalers working the waters
around the Antarctic Peninsula

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processed their catch here.

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But in the early 20th century,

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as nations around the world
started to claim ownership of parts

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of Antarctica, the British
wanted to get in on the act.

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The British realised
they needed what they called...

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"We need a permanent presence
on the peninsula

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"if we're going to actually
protect our claim."

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So they brought down two wooden huts
on a ship, called Base A and Base B.

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And this is Base A.

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In 1943, here at Base A,
also known as Bransfield House,

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the British established a research
centre for the upper atmosphere.

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Their work was crucial

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in the development of high frequency
radio communications.

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The base also acted as a post office

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in order to reinforce
Britain's claim on the peninsula,

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and occasional passing ships would
deliver letters back to the UK.

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The base was continuously manned
by scientists from 1943

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until it was closed in 1959.

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The men worked a 33 month
tour-of-duty, which included

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two very long harsh winters
when there were no visiting ships.

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But their life here
was not as hard as you might imagine

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as they made Bransfield House
a home from home,

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incorporating almost every comfort
they were used to back in Britain.

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This is a fabulous room.

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We've got the gramophone
the men would listen to,

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we've got the picture of the
Duke of Edinburgh and the Queen -

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every British base certainly
had those photographs.

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We've got the bar -
the men enjoyed a tipple.

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Player's Navy Cut - of course,
everybody smoked in those days.

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And, with no women on the base,
the men were free

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to decorate in a style
of their choosing.

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You've got marvellous paintings
that guys painted of, you know,

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Hollywood movie stars -
women of course -

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on the walls in the bunk room.

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Marilyn Monroe, Diana Dors,
Elizabeth Taylor,

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I have to look around, yeah,
Elizabeth Taylor's over there,

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and Doris Day. Yes, Doris Day,
that's on of my favourites.

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It was an all male contingent
down here, sometimes for, you know,

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overwintering, obviously, and the
mind, you know, the mind wanders.

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So, of course, yeah, it was
a nice way to express yourself.

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But one sight the men
would not have enjoyed

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is that of the gentoo penguins.

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They arrived on the island
after the scientists had left

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and over the past 50 years,

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as the climate in Antarctica
has warmed,

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the snow has started to melt
earlier in the season,

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giving the gentoo penguins
new nest sites amongst the rocks.

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But this year
there is more snow than usual,

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and the team have some hard work
ahead of them.

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Soon they will be welcoming
thousands of tourists

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from passing cruise ships,
to the museum,

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gift shop and post office.

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They've a long summer ahead of them.

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For me, it's really about
the opportunity

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to immerse in this environment

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and spend a good amount of time
here, a whole season here,

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and see all of the changes that
happen from November until March.

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And so many things do change -
the penguins arrive, they mate,

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they lay eggs, the eggs hatch,
the chicks fledge and then they go.

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And seeing that, you know,
who gets to see that?

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I mean, I never watch a bird go
through its whole entire lifecycle

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and here I'll get to do that,

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and with a penguin, which is,
you know, a pretty cool bird.

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Most gentoos remain faithful
to their partner for life

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and now the penguins have started
their courting rituals.

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Underneath the Union Jack,
a pair have claimed their regular

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nesting spot and reaffirm
their bond by bowing heads.

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Down at the boatshed,
another couple gets reacquainted.

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All over the island,
gentoos are preparing to breed.

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This year will be particularly busy
at Port Lockroy

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as up to ten members of staff
will come and go.

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The core post office team consists
of four women, led by Helen,

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who first came here six years ago.

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The first time I came here,

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it was just somewhere
I'd always wanted to visit.

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I just love going
to the wild places,

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I was drawn by the remoteness
of it and the hardness

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of living here, the cold
and the difficulties, and the fact

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that, even though we're living
in a lovely warm building,

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we're still camping, basically,
in a hut.

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We're camping, we've got no
running water. It's very basic.

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The chance to work in Antarctica
offered Jane,

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who trained as a lawyer in England,
a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

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People at home just
are amazed that, you know,

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I'm lucky enough
to have this opportunity, really.

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Er, they think it's great.

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They think I'm mad
because I'm always cold

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so I'll just be freezing here!

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Erm, but to start with,
you just can't believe it.

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Everywhere you look, there's
a penguin, so it takes a little

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bit of a while to adjust to that.
And then, once you do,

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it's just this constant source of
entertainment, you know, with their

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everyday goings-on and the ins and
outs and activity in the colonies.

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It's really, really good.

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Back at the water's edge,

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some of the gentoos are bringing
pebbles ashore from the seabed.

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There are no trees on Antarctica so,
instead of using twigs or leaves

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to build nests, these penguins
make theirs from small stones.

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Picking out the best one

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and carrying it all the way
to the nest site

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is the penguin equivalent of giving
a loved-one a box of chocolates.

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During the summer months,

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Port Lockroy is under
almost 24 hour daylight

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and the sea ice
is finally starting to break up.

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Outside the post office,
the couple under the Union Jack

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are busy building up their nest.

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Down behind the boatshed,

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this pair of penguins
is well ahead of the game.

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They've lucked out and have found
an old nest, already free of snow.

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Over the past week, they've been
adding new stones, piling them

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one on top of the other, to create
good drainage from snow and rain.

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A dry nest is essential

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if these birds are to have
any success in raising young.

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Penguins are fiercely protective
of their pile of stones

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and, because nests are so tightly
packed together in the colony,

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neighbourly disputes
constantly break out.

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And a nest left unattended
for more than a few seconds

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is in danger of being stolen.

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SQUAWKING

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A large cruise ship
has arrived in the bay.

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Tourists from all over the world

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have each paid thousands of pounds
to be here.

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Coming to Antarctica is, for a lot
of them, it's a lifelong ambition.

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00:14:46,360 --> 00:14:48,040
You know, it's a dream they've had.

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00:14:48,040 --> 00:14:50,480
Many of the people on the ships
are fairly elderly

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00:14:50,480 --> 00:14:53,120
and they say, "I've wanted
to do this all my life."

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Coming ashore is a chance
for close-up photos of gentoos,

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whilst inside there's a plethora of
penguin-themed mementos and gifts.

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The appeal is so great

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that many people part with over £500
in a single shopping spree.

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But, above all, everyone delights
in the simple act

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of sending a postcard
from the Penguin Post Office.

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To find a little bit of Britain

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tucked away here
in the Antarctic is...

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It's wonderful, just wonderful.

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It's a surprise to people that they
can be so far away from home

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and it seems so strange in so many
other respects,

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and yet here's this familiar concept
of a post office

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00:15:51,400 --> 00:15:53,320
and a chance to keep in touch.

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00:15:53,320 --> 00:15:56,120
We're just writing to our daughters.

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00:15:56,120 --> 00:15:58,920
I don't know what you're
planning to say!

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00:15:58,920 --> 00:16:03,600
I'm just planning to tell them
this is a fantastic place to be.

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00:16:03,600 --> 00:16:07,920
"To my darling family, it is so hard
to describe this amazing place.

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00:16:07,920 --> 00:16:10,320
"I really am
at the end of the world -

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00:16:10,320 --> 00:16:13,000
"snow, wind and penguins all around.

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00:16:13,000 --> 00:16:15,400
"What an adventure we are having!"

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00:16:15,400 --> 00:16:18,640
"Freezing conditions, penguins,
snowing, rough seas,

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00:16:18,640 --> 00:16:21,640
"unbelievable
and spectacular scenery!"

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00:16:21,640 --> 00:16:25,160
These cards are to ourselves!
THEY LAUGH

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00:16:27,280 --> 00:16:30,040
Almost everything
has a penguin on it,

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00:16:30,040 --> 00:16:34,960
including specially-designed stamps
that take postcards the world over.

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00:16:34,960 --> 00:16:38,680
And, not surprisingly,
the gentoo colony

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00:16:38,680 --> 00:16:41,560
that surrounds the post office
makes a great impression.

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00:16:44,400 --> 00:16:46,560
They toddle along,
they waddle along,

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00:16:46,560 --> 00:16:48,200
they fall over
and they get up again.

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00:16:49,800 --> 00:16:51,880
You could just watch them for hours

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00:16:51,880 --> 00:16:54,840
because their antics
are just so adorable.

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00:16:57,360 --> 00:17:00,800
I think I have about 800 pictures
of penguins on my camera

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00:17:00,800 --> 00:17:02,920
and I don't want to delete
one of them.

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00:17:06,280 --> 00:17:08,760
But in spite of their comic appeal,

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00:17:08,760 --> 00:17:12,240
gentoos are not always
as innocent as they look,

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00:17:12,240 --> 00:17:15,480
and given half a chance
they'll cheat on their partner.

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00:17:19,200 --> 00:17:23,000
Back by the boatshed,
a female returns to her nest site

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00:17:23,000 --> 00:17:25,920
to find her partner
has been up to no good.

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00:17:28,560 --> 00:17:32,680
Another lady has taken her place
and she's not going to stand for it.

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00:17:38,400 --> 00:17:41,280
She viciously attacks
the unwelcome female

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00:17:41,280 --> 00:17:43,920
whilst the unfaithful male
watches on.

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00:17:59,520 --> 00:18:02,320
Finally she returns
and reprimands her partner.

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00:18:04,560 --> 00:18:07,400
He gets it in the neck
for his philandering ways.

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00:18:15,720 --> 00:18:18,360
Penguins are prolific lovemakers

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00:18:18,360 --> 00:18:21,520
and mate frequently
throughout the summer.

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00:18:21,520 --> 00:18:23,640
The male bows to his partner

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00:18:23,640 --> 00:18:26,600
and appears to arouse her
by flapping his flippers.

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00:18:31,360 --> 00:18:34,040
If the female submits
to his charms,

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00:18:34,040 --> 00:18:36,720
she lies down
and the male mounts her back.

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00:18:43,240 --> 00:18:47,120
For the male, it's an acrobatic
balancing act to stay on top.

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00:18:55,040 --> 00:18:56,800
When the moment's right,

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00:18:56,800 --> 00:19:00,680
the pair briefly
rub their private parts together,

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00:19:00,680 --> 00:19:03,600
allowing the male to transfer sperm

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00:19:03,600 --> 00:19:06,400
by a process known as
a cloacal kiss.

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00:19:09,400 --> 00:19:11,920
If the egg
is successfully fertilised,

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00:19:11,920 --> 00:19:14,960
a chick will be expected
in around two months' time.

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00:19:17,760 --> 00:19:21,440
But things do not always
go exactly according to plan.

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00:19:35,520 --> 00:19:37,600
It's approaching the end of November

238
00:19:37,600 --> 00:19:41,440
and the penguin pair that was ahead
of the game with building their nest

239
00:19:41,440 --> 00:19:44,880
are amongst the first on the island
to be sitting on eggs.

240
00:19:53,200 --> 00:19:57,760
A few days later, eggs also appear
in the nest under the Union Jack.

241
00:20:06,720 --> 00:20:09,200
Most females lay a clutch of two,

242
00:20:09,200 --> 00:20:11,360
each coated by a thick shell

243
00:20:11,360 --> 00:20:14,520
to protect them from cracking
against the stones.

244
00:20:19,000 --> 00:20:23,600
In the Antarctic keeping eggs
at a constant 35 degrees centigrade

245
00:20:23,600 --> 00:20:25,640
poses a real challenge.

246
00:20:27,360 --> 00:20:30,520
But both male and female, who take
equal share in incubation duties,

247
00:20:30,520 --> 00:20:34,640
have a brood pouch -
a hollow area of bare skin

248
00:20:34,640 --> 00:20:39,360
that's lined with blood vessels
to transfer heat from parent to egg.

249
00:20:48,480 --> 00:20:51,480
For the next month they will
continually turn their eggs

250
00:20:51,480 --> 00:20:54,680
to ensure that heat
is evenly distributed,

251
00:20:54,680 --> 00:20:58,160
giving the developing chick
the best chance of survival.

252
00:21:03,520 --> 00:21:06,520
Now they're sitting on eggs,
the Post Office penguins

253
00:21:06,520 --> 00:21:09,680
face the challenge of protecting
them from predators.

254
00:21:18,880 --> 00:21:21,560
Skuas are formidable adversaries.

255
00:21:21,560 --> 00:21:25,960
They launch surprise attacks,
dive-bombing penguins from the air.

256
00:21:40,760 --> 00:21:43,840
Despite brave attempts
to drive this skua away,

257
00:21:43,840 --> 00:21:47,280
repeated aerial assaults have
caused an egg to be dislodged

258
00:21:47,280 --> 00:21:49,400
from the nest
of a panicking penguin.

259
00:21:56,360 --> 00:21:58,560
The skua gets its reward.

260
00:22:08,120 --> 00:22:12,000
Unlucky parents who lose their eggs
to skuas will have to wait

261
00:22:12,000 --> 00:22:14,880
another year for their next
chance to raise young.

262
00:22:31,200 --> 00:22:34,480
During this period
of incubating eggs,

263
00:22:34,480 --> 00:22:36,680
one adult is always
pinned to the nest,

264
00:22:36,680 --> 00:22:39,800
keeping eggs warm and defending them
from predators,

265
00:22:39,800 --> 00:22:42,440
whilst the other is away fishing.

266
00:22:50,640 --> 00:22:54,600
This leaves the stones they've made
such a concerted effort to gather

267
00:22:54,600 --> 00:22:57,520
easy pickings
for thieving penguins.

268
00:23:13,840 --> 00:23:16,960
At the boatshed
stone pilfering is rife,

269
00:23:16,960 --> 00:23:20,000
and one sly penguin
is proving particularly adept

270
00:23:20,000 --> 00:23:22,040
at burgling the neighbours.

271
00:23:25,040 --> 00:23:28,000
Running through the colony,
stone after stone is pinched

272
00:23:28,000 --> 00:23:30,040
and taken back to the nest.

273
00:23:35,080 --> 00:23:39,000
All penguins have criminal
tendencies and, over the course

274
00:23:39,000 --> 00:23:42,160
of the breeding season,
thousands of pebbles will be stolen

275
00:23:42,160 --> 00:23:46,440
and re-stolen in the competition
to keep up the largest family pile.

276
00:24:08,760 --> 00:24:11,560
It's now the height of summer

277
00:24:11,560 --> 00:24:14,160
and the peak of the Antarctic
tourist season.

278
00:24:20,360 --> 00:24:23,080
The Post Office penguins
don't appear the least bothered

279
00:24:23,080 --> 00:24:25,120
by the presence of people

280
00:24:25,120 --> 00:24:28,680
and seem perfectly happy
to pose for photographs.

281
00:24:38,480 --> 00:24:41,400
With an average of two
ship visits a day,

282
00:24:41,400 --> 00:24:44,680
there are a lot of postcards
to be processed.

283
00:24:47,360 --> 00:24:50,120
But for Kristy, who is taking
a sabbatical from teaching

284
00:24:50,120 --> 00:24:52,160
at the University of Washington,

285
00:24:52,160 --> 00:24:56,680
the chance to work in Antarctica
is a welcome break from academia.

286
00:25:03,640 --> 00:25:07,000
So, we hand-frank everything
here at Port Lockroy.

287
00:25:07,000 --> 00:25:09,760
This year we'll do probably

288
00:25:09,760 --> 00:25:13,120
between 60 and 80,000 postcards
by hand like this.

289
00:25:15,760 --> 00:25:17,960
It's kind of relaxing.

290
00:25:17,960 --> 00:25:22,440
It's probably one of my favourite
things that I do here, actually.

291
00:25:28,440 --> 00:25:32,240
People write about penguins, they're
always writing about penguins

292
00:25:32,240 --> 00:25:36,800
and so many people send messages
of...of love really, you know,

293
00:25:36,800 --> 00:25:40,320
just love to their family
and their friends.

294
00:25:42,000 --> 00:25:46,040
I think that's because this place
really is romantic

295
00:25:46,040 --> 00:25:49,200
in a very wild kind of way,

296
00:25:49,200 --> 00:25:51,520
and that's what people
are trying to capture

297
00:25:51,520 --> 00:25:55,320
and they only have a
couple of lines on a postcard

298
00:25:55,320 --> 00:26:00,040
and so they'll often just say
things like "this is magical",

299
00:26:00,040 --> 00:26:02,800
you know,
and "it's a dream come true"

300
00:26:02,800 --> 00:26:05,280
and "it's a once in
a lifetime experience".

301
00:26:06,680 --> 00:26:10,920
And I agree with them fully.
It is pretty magical here.

302
00:26:21,400 --> 00:26:24,120
It's not just the post office
and penguins

303
00:26:24,120 --> 00:26:26,160
that draw people to this region.

304
00:26:27,440 --> 00:26:30,000
The Antarctic Peninsula
is scenically

305
00:26:30,000 --> 00:26:32,960
by far the most dramatic region
of the continent...

306
00:26:37,680 --> 00:26:41,320
..and it also provides
a rich diversity of wildlife.

307
00:26:53,000 --> 00:26:56,480
The Peninsula is an extension
of the South American Andes,

308
00:26:56,480 --> 00:26:58,800
forming a coastal spine of mountains

309
00:26:58,800 --> 00:27:02,040
whose jagged peaks
rise out of the ocean.

310
00:27:03,880 --> 00:27:07,160
This otherworldly
landscape of glaciers and ice

311
00:27:07,160 --> 00:27:10,680
casts a spell on all of those
that have the fortune to visit.

312
00:27:14,640 --> 00:27:17,760
Living in the Antarctic
is really hard to describe.

313
00:27:18,800 --> 00:27:24,200
The colours here - it's just
hues of blue and grey and white,

314
00:27:24,200 --> 00:27:26,880
and very bright, even on a dull day.

315
00:27:31,400 --> 00:27:35,280
You hear the waves on the beach
or you hear the calls of the birds

316
00:27:35,280 --> 00:27:38,480
or the sounds of the weather,
the snow or the hail.

317
00:27:41,120 --> 00:27:45,320
It's just, erm,
the nearest thing I could imagine

318
00:27:45,320 --> 00:27:48,480
to being on another planet,
on our planet.

319
00:28:10,560 --> 00:28:14,040
It's the end of December
and over the past 24 hours

320
00:28:14,040 --> 00:28:16,800
the first gentoo chick on the island

321
00:28:16,800 --> 00:28:20,600
- with the aid of a sharp little egg
tooth on the tip of its beak -

322
00:28:20,600 --> 00:28:23,960
has been slowly
breaking free of its egg.

323
00:28:39,920 --> 00:28:44,000
Once hatched - weighing little more
than a couple of ounces -

324
00:28:44,000 --> 00:28:47,600
this vulnerable chick
is born blind to the world.

325
00:28:53,480 --> 00:28:56,720
Emerging from the egg
has been an exhausting process

326
00:28:56,720 --> 00:29:00,160
and the chick barely has
the strength to hold up its head.

327
00:29:05,680 --> 00:29:07,800
With just a thin layer of down,

328
00:29:07,800 --> 00:29:10,600
the chick has no means
of regulating heat,

329
00:29:10,600 --> 00:29:14,000
so for the next two weeks
it will be completely reliant

330
00:29:14,000 --> 00:29:16,160
on its parents to provide warmth.

331
00:29:21,280 --> 00:29:24,360
Seconds after hatching,
the chick instinctively

332
00:29:24,360 --> 00:29:27,000
makes repeated begging
calls to be fed,

333
00:29:27,000 --> 00:29:31,160
which the parent answers by
regurgitating food from its stomach.

334
00:29:46,680 --> 00:29:50,320
With up to three days between
the first and second hatching,

335
00:29:50,320 --> 00:29:54,600
the chance to feed and gain valuable
weight gives the first-born

336
00:29:54,600 --> 00:29:58,800
a considerable head start over its
sibling in the race for survival.

337
00:30:30,800 --> 00:30:33,800
Now there are hungry mouths to feed,

338
00:30:33,800 --> 00:30:38,040
parent penguins take it in turns
to go on day long fishing trips

339
00:30:38,040 --> 00:30:41,320
that can take them as far
as ten miles from the colony.

340
00:30:44,520 --> 00:30:48,840
But with super-streamlined bodies
and immensely powerful flippers,

341
00:30:48,840 --> 00:30:52,760
these journeys are effortless as
they literally fly through water.

342
00:31:11,840 --> 00:31:14,440
Forage dives lasting
up to three minutes

343
00:31:14,440 --> 00:31:18,440
can take them to depths
exceeding 200m.

344
00:31:21,800 --> 00:31:24,920
They reach speeds
in excess of 20mph,

345
00:31:24,920 --> 00:31:28,120
making them the fastest swimming
birds on Earth.

346
00:31:35,480 --> 00:31:37,720
The penguin's main quarry is krill -

347
00:31:37,720 --> 00:31:41,320
small crustaceans
that form immense swarms

348
00:31:41,320 --> 00:31:43,600
and underpin all life
in the Antarctic.

349
00:31:56,560 --> 00:32:01,920
Gentoos may make as many as 450
dives in a single day's foraging,

350
00:32:01,920 --> 00:32:05,960
and if they've been successful
in gorging themselves on krill

351
00:32:05,960 --> 00:32:09,320
they return to the colony
half a kilo heavier.

352
00:32:16,800 --> 00:32:19,360
As soon as a penguin
returns from fishing

353
00:32:19,360 --> 00:32:22,720
it waddles back to the nest
to find its partner.

354
00:32:24,880 --> 00:32:28,360
Because they have been separated
for the best part of a day

355
00:32:28,360 --> 00:32:33,440
the pair reaffirm their bond by
the formal ritual of bowing heads.

356
00:32:36,080 --> 00:32:38,280
Then they swap positions

357
00:32:38,280 --> 00:32:41,560
and the returning adult feeds
the newly-hatched chick.

358
00:32:44,640 --> 00:32:48,000
Both parents divide their time
equally between caring

359
00:32:48,000 --> 00:32:50,520
for the young and foraging for food.

360
00:32:53,600 --> 00:32:57,200
Within a week most of the eggs
on the island have hatched

361
00:32:57,200 --> 00:32:59,640
and the majority of nests
have two chicks,

362
00:32:59,640 --> 00:33:01,960
demanding round-the-clock attention.

363
00:33:09,040 --> 00:33:11,560
Because the summer season
is so short

364
00:33:11,560 --> 00:33:15,840
the chicks need to grow fast
to survive the cold months ahead,

365
00:33:15,840 --> 00:33:20,080
so in just three weeks
they're likely to quadruple in size.

366
00:33:22,600 --> 00:33:26,720
Competition between chicks is
fierce, and if food becomes scarce

367
00:33:26,720 --> 00:33:29,920
the parents will favour
the strongest chick,

368
00:33:29,920 --> 00:33:32,040
leaving the weaker one to perish.

369
00:33:41,600 --> 00:33:45,360
At this stage of their development
the chicks are vulnerable

370
00:33:45,360 --> 00:33:49,160
to attack from skuas, and the
penguin adults are on high alert.

371
00:34:01,120 --> 00:34:04,040
But the skuas have needs
of their own.

372
00:34:05,480 --> 00:34:09,360
Skuas come to Port Lockroy
in the summer months to breed.

373
00:34:09,360 --> 00:34:13,440
They establish nests in shallow
rocky depressions, called scrapes,

374
00:34:13,440 --> 00:34:16,960
and the female usually lays
a clutch of two eggs.

375
00:34:20,200 --> 00:34:24,800
The adults share in incubating the
eggs, swapping over every few hours.

376
00:34:27,240 --> 00:34:30,640
Like the penguins, they have
to be quick to switch positions

377
00:34:30,640 --> 00:34:33,000
to ensure the eggs don't lose heat.

378
00:34:45,800 --> 00:34:49,680
Penguin chicks are now a prized
source of food for the skuas

379
00:34:49,680 --> 00:34:51,720
and hunting intensifies.

380
00:35:05,840 --> 00:35:07,880
The skua is a dogged opponent,

381
00:35:07,880 --> 00:35:11,680
continually surveying the colony
for the chance of a quick kill.

382
00:35:40,640 --> 00:35:43,200
For this unlucky chick
it's a gruesome end

383
00:35:43,200 --> 00:35:45,840
as the skua attempts
to swallow it whole.

384
00:36:01,480 --> 00:36:04,640
Life's a bit more cosy
in the Penguin Post Office

385
00:36:04,640 --> 00:36:08,400
and, with so many tourists,
the postcards are piling high.

386
00:36:10,960 --> 00:36:14,120
Kristy bundles them up
and they're taken by cruise ship

387
00:36:14,120 --> 00:36:17,120
900 miles north
to the Falkland Islands.

388
00:36:19,760 --> 00:36:23,040
The Royal Air Force then fly them
all the way to England,

389
00:36:23,040 --> 00:36:27,360
where they enter the UK postal
system and are dispatched worldwide.

390
00:36:28,880 --> 00:36:32,840
They'll take up to six weeks
to reach their final destination.

391
00:36:39,560 --> 00:36:43,120
It's now mid-January
and the chicks are quickly growing.

392
00:36:47,200 --> 00:36:49,680
Too big to sit under the parent,

393
00:36:49,680 --> 00:36:53,240
they're starting to discover
there's a world beyond the nest.

394
00:36:55,920 --> 00:36:58,600
Down behind the boatshed,
this plucky little fellow,

395
00:36:58,600 --> 00:37:00,880
still a couple of months
from learning

396
00:37:00,880 --> 00:37:02,800
the true purpose of flippers,

397
00:37:02,800 --> 00:37:06,800
is taking his first uncertain
steps towards independence.

398
00:37:30,160 --> 00:37:33,040
Soon the chick is given
a very valuable lesson -

399
00:37:33,040 --> 00:37:35,080
don't annoy the neighbours!

400
00:37:44,720 --> 00:37:48,720
For now, chicks won't dare
venture far from the nest.

401
00:37:58,520 --> 00:38:02,040
But even the shortest excursion
provides plenty of opportunity

402
00:38:02,040 --> 00:38:04,960
to practise the tricky art
of rock climbing.

403
00:38:30,360 --> 00:38:33,320
Food is still by far
the biggest preoccupation

404
00:38:33,320 --> 00:38:36,000
but instead of just being
fed on demand,

405
00:38:36,000 --> 00:38:38,480
the chicks are now being made
to work for it.

406
00:38:49,520 --> 00:38:52,520
The parent, forcing its chicks
to chase for a feed,

407
00:38:52,520 --> 00:38:54,560
encourages competition

408
00:38:54,560 --> 00:38:58,040
where the strongest and most
determined gets fed first.

409
00:39:11,080 --> 00:39:14,000
Food chasing also helps
the chicks build up strength

410
00:39:14,000 --> 00:39:18,040
in preparation for the time when
they'll need to fend for themselves.

411
00:39:23,760 --> 00:39:27,160
By adulthood penguins
become such fast runners

412
00:39:27,160 --> 00:39:30,240
that over short distances
they can outrun a human.

413
00:40:11,440 --> 00:40:15,200
A strong wind has brought blizzard
conditions to Port Lockroy.

414
00:40:18,800 --> 00:40:21,280
But the rough weather
hasn't deterred the tourists,

415
00:40:21,280 --> 00:40:23,720
who've taken refuge in the
Penguin Post Office

416
00:40:23,720 --> 00:40:27,160
to buy penguin paraphernalia
and send postcards home.

417
00:40:27,160 --> 00:40:30,080
GENERAL CHATTER

418
00:40:32,760 --> 00:40:37,360
I wrote a postcard to ourselves
and I said that...

419
00:40:37,360 --> 00:40:40,080
SPEAKS CHINESE

420
00:40:40,080 --> 00:40:44,600
..in Chinese, which means
we landed here in blizzard,

421
00:40:44,600 --> 00:40:48,720
so best wishes from
the end of the world!

422
00:40:48,720 --> 00:40:50,040
That's all!

423
00:40:53,760 --> 00:40:57,960
I mean, Antarctica's not like
any other holiday destination.

424
00:40:57,960 --> 00:40:59,760
The weather takes priority.

425
00:41:01,480 --> 00:41:03,720
You have to expect the unexpected.

426
00:41:03,720 --> 00:41:05,480
You really can't plan.

427
00:41:05,480 --> 00:41:08,280
You know, it is a hostile place,
it's a hostile environment,

428
00:41:08,280 --> 00:41:11,000
it always has been
and it always will be for people.

429
00:41:17,120 --> 00:41:19,680
We're here at the post office
on the worst day that we've

430
00:41:19,680 --> 00:41:23,000
encountered so far since we began
our journey in Antarctica.

431
00:41:23,000 --> 00:41:26,400
"It is very cold and snowy.
The penguins are everywhere."

432
00:41:28,680 --> 00:41:30,800
It's amazing their robustness

433
00:41:30,800 --> 00:41:33,280
and capability
to sustain bad weather.

434
00:41:33,280 --> 00:41:37,680
We are hardly sustaining
the storm outside and they are,

435
00:41:37,680 --> 00:41:39,960
it's as if it's a sunny
day for them.

436
00:41:39,960 --> 00:41:42,960
The penguins are just completely
soaking it all up,

437
00:41:42,960 --> 00:41:46,480
loving this weather,
so it really provides perspective.

438
00:41:46,480 --> 00:41:49,120
They are adapted to be here
and we are not!

439
00:41:49,120 --> 00:41:51,280
WIND HOWLS

440
00:41:55,360 --> 00:41:57,720
PENGUIN BRAYS

441
00:42:04,480 --> 00:42:09,000
As the weeks go by, curiosity
and the strong urge to explore

442
00:42:09,000 --> 00:42:12,280
is taking the chicks further
and further from the nest.

443
00:42:19,480 --> 00:42:22,920
As they run the gauntlet of
the colony and enter neighbouring

444
00:42:22,920 --> 00:42:26,880
territories, the chicks are
repeatedly bullied and harassed.

445
00:42:26,880 --> 00:42:29,600
SQUAWKING

446
00:42:40,120 --> 00:42:44,840
The chicks seem slow to learn that
neighbours aren't always welcoming

447
00:42:44,840 --> 00:42:46,840
and it pays to keep out of the way.

448
00:43:10,920 --> 00:43:14,440
One chick has fallen victim
to a vicious assault.

449
00:43:30,760 --> 00:43:35,360
Although it's been bloodied
and is now severely weakened,

450
00:43:35,360 --> 00:43:37,800
the adults' attack is unrelenting.

451
00:43:45,240 --> 00:43:48,680
This distressing behaviour
is rarely witnessed,

452
00:43:48,680 --> 00:43:51,400
so we can only speculate
why it's occurred.

453
00:43:57,280 --> 00:43:59,840
Perhaps it shows the extreme lengths

454
00:43:59,840 --> 00:44:03,040
the penguins will go to in order
to defend their territory.

455
00:44:26,680 --> 00:44:29,080
The dead chick's sibling returns

456
00:44:29,080 --> 00:44:31,800
and lays its head down
on the corpse

457
00:44:31,800 --> 00:44:34,480
as if mourning
the loss of its companion.

458
00:45:15,080 --> 00:45:18,920
At the skua's nest
an empty shell is obvious evidence

459
00:45:18,920 --> 00:45:21,440
that there's been a recent hatching.

460
00:45:38,120 --> 00:45:41,840
This ball of fluff will stay under
the protection of its parent's wing

461
00:45:41,840 --> 00:45:43,600
only for a couple of days.

462
00:45:47,360 --> 00:45:50,840
After this short time it will
leave the nest and take refuge

463
00:45:50,840 --> 00:45:55,600
in the nearby rocks, freeing
both parents to forage for food.

464
00:46:13,480 --> 00:46:16,400
When it comes to feeding time,
the adult returning

465
00:46:16,400 --> 00:46:20,520
from a successful hunt lands
a good distance from the nest

466
00:46:20,520 --> 00:46:23,720
so as not to reveal its location
to predators

467
00:46:23,720 --> 00:46:27,280
like giant petrels,
or even other skuas.

468
00:46:32,960 --> 00:46:35,480
Surprisingly agile,
by instinct the chick

469
00:46:35,480 --> 00:46:38,800
clambers across the rocks
to meet the reward of food.

470
00:46:53,840 --> 00:46:56,760
The male regurgitates
the contents of his stomach,

471
00:46:56,760 --> 00:46:59,680
presenting the chick
with semi-digested fish.

472
00:47:02,600 --> 00:47:05,200
The female, who has spent

473
00:47:05,200 --> 00:47:09,040
so much time on the nest brooding
the chick, shares in the spoils.

474
00:47:14,320 --> 00:47:17,160
This year, her other egg will fail

475
00:47:17,160 --> 00:47:20,080
and this chick will be
their only offspring.

476
00:47:34,840 --> 00:47:37,440
It's now the beginning of February

477
00:47:37,440 --> 00:47:39,920
and, with the tourist season
still in full swing,

478
00:47:39,920 --> 00:47:42,520
the chicks are starting
to gang together

479
00:47:42,520 --> 00:47:44,520
in nursery groups called creches.

480
00:47:49,280 --> 00:47:53,360
The chicks need to stick together
because their parents are now

481
00:47:53,360 --> 00:47:56,520
spending long periods at sea
foraging for food.

482
00:47:58,480 --> 00:48:01,160
The chicks now have
a very healthy appetite

483
00:48:01,160 --> 00:48:04,920
and the parents have to work hard
to meet the ever-growing demand.

484
00:48:20,680 --> 00:48:23,280
But what goes in one end...

485
00:48:23,280 --> 00:48:24,880
comes out the other.

486
00:48:25,920 --> 00:48:30,240
I do love the penguins, but it is
not all, um...

487
00:48:30,240 --> 00:48:31,880
They poop a lot.

488
00:48:31,880 --> 00:48:34,960
And, with so many
pooping chicks on the loose,

489
00:48:34,960 --> 00:48:38,640
it's a constant battle
for the post office workers.

490
00:48:41,320 --> 00:48:44,720
Living with the penguins does
cause us some challenges, you know.

491
00:48:44,720 --> 00:48:46,120
The smell and the mess -

492
00:48:46,120 --> 00:48:48,840
I mean, the penguins are constantly
pooping everywhere.

493
00:48:50,800 --> 00:48:53,320
We have a path, a rocky path
that leads up to the base

494
00:48:53,320 --> 00:48:56,840
and all our passengers,
all the visitors walk up this path

495
00:48:56,840 --> 00:49:00,920
and we have to keep that clean
so that not too much, um,

496
00:49:00,920 --> 00:49:02,560
gets walked into the base.

497
00:49:03,600 --> 00:49:06,400
So every morning we collect
buckets of seawater from the sea

498
00:49:06,400 --> 00:49:08,600
and scrub the rocks clean.

499
00:49:20,680 --> 00:49:24,560
We don't honestly really notice
the smell but everybody else does,

500
00:49:24,560 --> 00:49:28,240
so it can be quite funny when
you're in the post office

501
00:49:28,240 --> 00:49:31,440
and one of the passengers will say,

502
00:49:31,440 --> 00:49:34,640
"How do you cope with the smell
of the penguins?"

503
00:49:34,640 --> 00:49:37,040
And the first thought
that goes through your mind is,

504
00:49:37,040 --> 00:49:39,280
"I can't really smell the penguins."

505
00:49:39,280 --> 00:49:41,600
I think we just,
we absorb their smell, too,

506
00:49:41,600 --> 00:49:44,320
so we all smell together
come the end of the season.

507
00:49:46,200 --> 00:49:50,440
Just like lazy teenagers, the chicks
are quite happy to sit around

508
00:49:50,440 --> 00:49:52,800
while all the work's being done.

509
00:50:08,720 --> 00:50:12,200
By mid-February the adults
start looking very dishevelled.

510
00:50:15,240 --> 00:50:18,200
This scruffy stage is known
as the annual moult,

511
00:50:18,200 --> 00:50:21,360
where old feathers that have started
to lose their insulating

512
00:50:21,360 --> 00:50:25,240
and waterproofing properties
are replaced by new ones.

513
00:50:30,320 --> 00:50:32,920
It's a stressful time
as they're in no condition

514
00:50:32,920 --> 00:50:35,240
to enter the water and fish.

515
00:50:37,880 --> 00:50:40,400
Because of this
parents take it in turns to moult,

516
00:50:40,400 --> 00:50:43,880
ensuring one still remains able
to feed the chicks.

517
00:50:47,040 --> 00:50:51,320
Over this 20-day moulting period
the adult fasts and, having only

518
00:50:51,320 --> 00:50:55,760
fat reserves to survive on, they
lose up to half their body weight.

519
00:51:00,840 --> 00:51:03,160
The chicks are also transforming

520
00:51:03,160 --> 00:51:06,760
and beginning to look a bit
like punks with Mohican hairdos.

521
00:51:10,160 --> 00:51:12,480
They are also moulting,

522
00:51:12,480 --> 00:51:16,400
quickly losing their downy
baby fluff for adult plumage.

523
00:51:19,080 --> 00:51:21,920
Soon the chicks
will be indistinguishable

524
00:51:21,920 --> 00:51:24,880
from their parents
and, as winter approaches,

525
00:51:24,880 --> 00:51:28,880
it won't be long before
they are ready to enter the water.

526
00:51:38,840 --> 00:51:42,400
The chicks are now congregating
in even bigger groups.

527
00:51:42,400 --> 00:51:45,240
Ganging together provides
safety in numbers,

528
00:51:45,240 --> 00:51:48,400
making them
far less vulnerable to predation.

529
00:52:01,600 --> 00:52:03,680
A skua chances its luck.

530
00:52:07,560 --> 00:52:12,080
The chicks flee but continue to
stick together in tight formation.

531
00:52:16,960 --> 00:52:19,480
Not deterred, the skua persists,

532
00:52:19,480 --> 00:52:21,800
harassing the chicks
on the off chance

533
00:52:21,800 --> 00:52:24,000
it will be able to pick off
a weak one.

534
00:52:32,160 --> 00:52:36,080
But, as the chase continues,
the tables start to turn.

535
00:52:46,120 --> 00:52:48,080
The chicks gain confidence

536
00:52:48,080 --> 00:52:52,440
and as a united front
they start to chase the skua!

537
00:53:02,000 --> 00:53:05,040
CHIRPING AND HONKING

538
00:53:16,520 --> 00:53:18,080
A valuable lesson -

539
00:53:18,080 --> 00:53:21,640
when you're a penguin,
it's best to stick with the crowd.

540
00:53:31,720 --> 00:53:33,400
While the post office workers

541
00:53:33,400 --> 00:53:36,680
get on with some much-needed
pre-winter maintenance,

542
00:53:36,680 --> 00:53:41,160
the chicks are beginning to discover
a new element - water.

543
00:53:49,120 --> 00:53:51,360
The young ones are curious,

544
00:53:51,360 --> 00:53:55,000
though seem a little nervous
about getting their feet wet.

545
00:54:06,200 --> 00:54:08,960
But hunger is a powerful incentive

546
00:54:08,960 --> 00:54:11,520
and, to encourage chicks
to take the plunge,

547
00:54:11,520 --> 00:54:14,480
parent penguins draw them down
to the water's edge

548
00:54:14,480 --> 00:54:16,280
by making them chase for food.

549
00:54:27,720 --> 00:54:30,720
Once they enter the water,
the chicks have to learn

550
00:54:30,720 --> 00:54:33,080
how to swim by trial and error.

551
00:54:37,200 --> 00:54:39,920
Soon the chicks will be
feeding themselves

552
00:54:39,920 --> 00:54:43,880
and will, at last, gain full
independence of their parents.

553
00:54:55,280 --> 00:54:59,200
It's the beginning of March
and winter is fast approaching.

554
00:55:05,520 --> 00:55:07,480
The tourist season has ended

555
00:55:07,480 --> 00:55:11,120
and the Post Office workers
are dispatching the last post.

556
00:55:22,040 --> 00:55:24,760
It's a day of reflection
as this is also the day

557
00:55:24,760 --> 00:55:29,080
that the team is packing up
and leaving Port Lockroy for home.

558
00:55:33,600 --> 00:55:36,360
Being in this environment
for so long, really,

559
00:55:36,360 --> 00:55:40,400
I think we get a sense
of what life is in Antarctica.

560
00:55:40,400 --> 00:55:44,120
Not for us, because we're not meant
to be here, really, as people,

561
00:55:44,120 --> 00:55:47,960
but for the creatures that evolved
to be in this environment,

562
00:55:47,960 --> 00:55:50,760
and to bear witness to that
is very, very special.

563
00:55:57,080 --> 00:56:00,160
The team has chosen one of
the worst days of the season

564
00:56:00,160 --> 00:56:01,760
to leave the island

565
00:56:01,760 --> 00:56:04,480
and, as they struggle against
storm-force winds

566
00:56:04,480 --> 00:56:06,280
to take down the Union Jack,

567
00:56:06,280 --> 00:56:09,400
their thoughts inevitably
turn towards home.

568
00:56:12,440 --> 00:56:16,240
I think we're all looking forward
to getting back to certain things

569
00:56:16,240 --> 00:56:19,760
at home but we'll all go back
with a different outlook on life.

570
00:56:22,200 --> 00:56:25,920
The experience of coming here is,
er, is life-changing.

571
00:56:27,120 --> 00:56:32,680
It takes you back to, um, to what's
really important in life, you know.

572
00:56:32,680 --> 00:56:35,240
It takes you down
to the bare essentials

573
00:56:35,240 --> 00:56:37,640
and makes you realise
that all the stuff

574
00:56:37,640 --> 00:56:40,480
you think you need at home
you actually don't,

575
00:56:40,480 --> 00:56:42,560
and that's refreshing.

576
00:56:45,360 --> 00:56:47,800
The team is heading
to a nearby cruise ship

577
00:56:47,800 --> 00:56:50,000
which will take them
to South America.

578
00:56:53,840 --> 00:56:57,880
For the next seven months
the base will remain unoccupied

579
00:56:57,880 --> 00:57:00,240
until a new group
of volunteers returns

580
00:57:00,240 --> 00:57:04,320
and opens up the post office for
another summer season of tourism.

581
00:57:06,600 --> 00:57:08,400
It does cast a spell on you.

582
00:57:08,400 --> 00:57:10,960
When you go home it leaves
a lasting impression on you

583
00:57:10,960 --> 00:57:13,320
and it's very hard
to not want to come back.

584
00:57:13,320 --> 00:57:16,680
I know that I will want to come back
in some way at some point.

585
00:57:36,120 --> 00:57:40,080
But, over the winter, the penguins
remain around Port Lockroy

586
00:57:40,080 --> 00:57:42,400
and these tough, resilient birds

587
00:57:42,400 --> 00:57:46,400
will brave many months
of brutal subzero temperatures.

588
00:57:52,720 --> 00:57:56,200
Soon all the fully grown chicks
will join their parents

589
00:57:56,200 --> 00:57:58,800
on regular long-distance
fishing trips,

590
00:57:58,800 --> 00:58:03,520
where, finally, they'll become
masters of their Antarctic home.

591
00:58:08,520 --> 00:58:11,120
Then next summer, in huge numbers,

592
00:58:11,120 --> 00:58:13,600
the penguins will gather once again

593
00:58:13,600 --> 00:58:18,920
to start the process of breeding
at the Penguin Post Office.