The cliff tops are soon stained pink
with the droppings of tens of thousands of nesting penguins
Only in a land almost entirely covered in ice
could bare rock be reckoned an oasis
Some will travel into the heart of the continent to find it
These are nunataks
the exposed peaks of vast mountain ranges
buried in ice over a mile deep
The eerie silence here is only broken in spring
The snow petrels have arrived and are courting
Antarctic petrels now join
the most southerly bird colony on earth
The birds have flown inland for over 300 miles
to reach this breeding site
Once their eggs have hatched
they'll be forced repeatedly to make the 600-mile round trip
to gather food in the ocean