Antarctica: Raw and Uncut. Encounter with Emperor Penguins

McMurdo Station, Ross Island, Antarctica. Taken Friday, November 11, 2011 on the Cape Evans Road near Inaccessible Island. Shot using a MinoHD Flip camera. ****Disclaimer: This video is raw, uncut, and unadulterated. Unfortunately, the lens was dirty when I shot this video, which I didn't realize until afterwards =( **** Our research group was on the way to our dive hole in the sea ice near Cape Evans when we came upon this group of Emperor Penguins blocking the sea ice road. Because of the Antarctic Treaty, which forbids humans to alter the behavior of animals here, we could not encourage the penguins to clear the road. However, knowing that Emperor Penguins are typically curious of humans, I, Lydia, and Evan ventured out onto the sea ice away from the road at a good distance to see if we could tempt the penguins away from the sea ice road with our silent, still presence. Sure enough, we were successful, and the birds ventured close to us to investigate. This allowed Gretchen to drive our Pisten Bully around the penguins so that we could continue on our way. The penguins were indeed curious and came within arm's reach of me, even though I remained silent and motionless the entire time. While the video is frustratingly fuzzy, I was able to capture the birds' songs, which was my dream all along.