BBC Wildlife - UK (2019-12)

Autumn is falling over Atka Bay,
Antarctica. Having spent three
months at sea, a colony of emperor
penguins is now preparing to breed
on the newly formed sea-ice. The
species’ exceptional life-cycle is well
known, but new behaviour can still
be witnessed by those willing to
venture into this inhospitable land.
“This couple looked as if they were
trying to pass an egg, but it was too
early in the season for any eggs to
have been laid,” says Stefan. “The
‘egg’ was in fact a snowball, and the
birds seemed to be practising for
the real thing, with the utmost care
and caution. We’d never heard of
such behaviour before.”