Among Penguins: A Bird Man in Antarctica

Penguins fascinate us. Even though there are no naturally occurring penguins within thousands of miles, they seem to pop up in our culture all the time. While I don’t mind seeing their images everywhere, I would love to see a penguin in the wild. And to actually live among them for a time would seem a dream-come-true. Noah Strycker had such an opportunity, and recounts that experience in Among Penguins: A Bird Man in Antarctica.

Strycker, fresh out of college, was accepted to participate in an ongoing research study of Adélie Penguins in Antarctica. For three months during the Antarctic summer he and two others were essentially marooned in one of the most remote places on Earth. They lived in a tiny shed, slept in tents on the frozen ground, and had nothing to eat but frozen food. There were no showers and they were forced to use an outhouse. At twenty below. Frequent wind storms would keep them imprisoned in the shed for days at a time, as venturing outside in the blinding snow and hurricane-force wind could be deadly. And when they could get out to work, they had long, back-breaking days.

In the middle of nowhere, with a mega-blizzard mere inches from my face, I felt like the luckiest person on Earth.

Strycker could say that because they also had penguins – hundreds of thousands of penguins. Even though Adélie Penguins are one of the least accessible breeding birds on the planet they are one of the best studied, thanks to the long-term research project Strycker was assisting in. Strycker and his teammates were responsible for monitoring the penguin population, banding chicks, reporting birds banded previously, and making other observations.

It turns out that these penguins are as fascinating as they are adorable. Through the course of Among Penguins, Strycker shares a good bit of their natural history as a species, as well as interesting stories about individuals. For all of us birders, he also describes the Christmas Bird Count (remember, Christmas is in the middle of the Antarctic summer) that the team performed – the first for Antarctica.

But as interesting as the birds are, they are supporting characters in this tale. We get to know the author very well, both through his activities in Antarctica and memoir-styled chapters that describe, among other things, how he became a birder and why he wanted to spend his summer on the ice.

Whether Strycker is writing about himself or his activities working with penguins, Among Penguins is entertaining and even humorous. I’ve long enjoyed the author’s writing in WildBird and Birding magazines and was pleased to find that it holds up in this, his first full-length book.

Recommendation

As much as I’d love to study penguins in Antarctica, I’m not sure I’d be able to handle it (especially the cold). It sure makes a great story, though! Among Penguins is a great read for bird lovers, especially anyone curious about field work. And I look forward to reading about Mr. Strycker’s further adventures.