Ukrainian scientists at the Vernadsky Research Base have recorded the record-early return of thousands of gentoo penguins to Galindez Island.
According to Ukrinform, the National Antarctic Scientific Center said this in a Facebook post.
"Only recently, we reported that these birds left Galindez Island, where the station is located, unusually late. In previous years, they would typically leave around May, but this year they stayed until the second half of July (and, as a reminder, it is winter in Antarctica)," the biologists said.
Now, scientists at the Vernadsky Research Base are recording the record-early return of the gentoo penguins. Previously, they would arrive en masse on the island roughly from mid-September to mid-October – that is, in spring – but this year the polar scientists spotted thousands of penguins in the second half of August.
"What is interesting is that in June and July, we mostly observed them in one location – Penguin Point. It is located on the opposite side of the island from the station and has a convenient, gently sloping shore for access to the water. Now, after their return, the birds have already spread along the shoreline all the way to the station building. We can see them from the windows," said Oleh Horiaiinov, a biologist with the 31st Ukrainian Antarctic Expedition.
