Ukrainian Antarctic Journal

Vol 24 No 1(32) (2026): Ukrainian Antarctic Journal
Articles

Accuracy of time-lapse camera data and variability in Gentoo penguin breeding phenology on Galindez Island

PDF
  • Svitozar Davydenko,
  • Gennadi Milinevsky,
  • Vadym Tkachenko,
  • Oksana Savenko,
  • Sergii Gogol,
  • Olexander Salganskiy
Svitozar Davydenko
I.I. Schmalhausen Institute of Zoology of National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv, 01054, Ukraine; State Institution National Antarctic Scientific Center, Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, Kyiv, 01601, Ukraine
Gennadi Milinevsky
State Institution National Antarctic Scientific Center, Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, Kyiv, 01601, Ukraine; College of Physics, International Center of Future Science, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012, China
Vadym Tkachenko
Institute for Marine Sciences, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA; Pryazovsky National Park, Melitopol, 72309, Ukraine
Oksana Savenko
State Institution National Antarctic Scientific Center, Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, Kyiv, 01601, Ukraine; Institute for Marine Sciences, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA
Sergii Gogol
R.E. Kavetsky Institute of Experimental Pathology, Oncology and Radiobiology, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv, 03022, Ukraine
Olexander Salganskiy
National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv, 03041, Ukraine
DOI: https://doi.org/10.33275/1727-7485.1.2026.759
Published July 2, 2026
Keywords
  • Argentine Islands,
  • automatic camera,
  • chronology,
  • Pygoscelis papua,
  • reproductive cycle,
  • validation
    • ...More
    Less
How to Cite
Davydenko, S., Milinevsky, G., Tkachenko, V., Savenko, O., Gogol, S., & Salganskiy, O. (2026). Accuracy of time-lapse camera data and variability in Gentoo penguin breeding phenology on Galindez Island. Ukrainian Antarctic Journal, 24(1(32), 77-86. https://doi.org/10.33275/1727-7485.1.2026.759

Copyright (c) 2026 Ukrainian Antarctic Journal

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Abstract

The condition and dynamics of penguin populations are among the key indicators for assessing Antarctic marine living resources and developing a krill fishery strategy. The Argentine Islands are the southern border of the range of one of the most numerous penguin species – the Gentoo penguin, Pygoscelis papua. The P. papua colony on Galindez Island (CEMP site GAI), where the Ukrainian Antarctic Akademik Vernadsky station is located, is the second southernmost colony of this species, and one of the largest in the region, with a penguin population of about 7 000 adults in peak season (2025/2026) and growing from year to year. Over the past five years, both parts of the colony, one near the main station building and one on the Penguin Point, have expanded significantly towards each other. The largest of the newly formed areas of the colony is located near the Magnetometers Pavilion of Vernadsky Station. This study aims to assess the accuracy of determining the chronology of the main events of the reproductive cycle of P. papua by comparing time-lapse camera data with visual observations of nests, and to examine phenology in the newly formed part of the colony. It was found that the most accurate determination was made for the date of the crèche formation – the time difference was less than 1 day. The dates of first egg laying and first chick hatching were determined with somewhat lower precision, as visual observations and camera recordings differed by about 2 days for both events. Camera data typically lag behind visual observations of events. A larger number of photos captured at 30-minute intervals throughout the daylight hours will help to significantly increase the accuracy of identifying reproductive cycle events. A study of a new part of the Galindez Island colony near the Magnetometers Pavilion (GMP site) showed that all events of the reproductive cycle in this area occur 6–10 days earlier than in the old parts of the colony. This observation is not related to differences in penguin arrival times across different parts of the island and requires further research.

PDF

References

  1. Bennett, S., Harris, M. P., Wanless, S., Green, J. A., Newell, M. A., Searle, K. R., & Daunt, F. (2022). Earlier and more frequent occupation of breeding sites during the non-breeding season increases breeding success in a colonial seabird. Ecology and Evolution, 12(9), e9213. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.9213
  2. Black, C., Collen, B., Lunn, D., Filby, D., Winnard, S. & Hart, T. (2018). Time-lapse cameras reveal latitude and season influence breeding phenology durations in penguins. Ecology and Evolution, 8(16), 8286–8296. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.4160
  3. Chesalin, М., Naveen, R., Lynch, H., Bullock, I., Rider, M., Miller, A., Forrest, S., Dagit, R., Dykyy, I., & Timofeyev, V. (2009). Long-term changes in populations of seabirds on Petermann Island and surrounding islands in Graham Land, Antarctic Peninsula. Marine Ecological Journal, 8(3), 5–13.
  4. Croxall, J. P., & Kirkwood, E. D. (1979). The distribution of penguins on the Antarctic Peninsula and islands of the Scotia Sea. British Antarctic Survey.
  5. Davydenko, S. V., Dykyi, Ye. O., Khoetsky, P. B., Savenko, O. V., Milinevsky, G. P., Simon, A. T., Pshenichnov, L. K., Tkachenko, V. V., Demianenko, K. V., Dzhulai, A. O., & Gogol, S. V. (2025). The Galindez Island Gentoo penguin (Pygoscelis papua) population during 2024/ 2025 season and time-lapse camera data validation results. Report of the Working Group on Ecosystem Monitoring and Management (WG-EMM-2025). Geilo, Norway, 7–18 July, 2025, 1–8.
  6. Dykyy, I. (2013). The effect of abiotic factors on the reproduction of seabirds on the Argentine Islands. Youth and Progress of Biology: abstracts book of the IX International Scientific Conference of Students and PhD Students. Lviv, 16–19 April, 2013, 7–8.
  7. Dykyy, I. V., Milinevsky, G. P., Savitsky, O. L., Lutsenko, D. G., Khoetsky, P. B., Veselsky, M. F., Smagol, V. M., Dykyy, Y. O., Dzhulay, A. O., Tsaryk, J. V., Nazaruk, K. M.,Zatushevsky, A. T., Simon, A. O., & Telipska, M. A. (2018). Features of chronology and breeding success of Pygoscelis papua and P. adeliae (Spheniscidae) penguins in the Wilhelm Archipelago (CCAMLR subarea 48.1). Ukrainian Antarctic Journal, 1(17), 130–147. https://doi.org/10.33275/1727-7485.1(17).2018.39
  8. Flynn, C. M., Juárez-Martínez, I., Hart, T. & Lynch, H. J. (2026). Demographic rates of Adélie penguins from Approximate Bayesian Computation and time-lapse cameras. Ecological Modelling, 514, 111488. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2026.111488
  9. Gain, R. A. (1914). Oiseaux antarctiques. 2e expédition antarctique française (1908–1910), Paris, Masson et Cie.
  10. Hinke, J. T., Barbosa, A., Emmerson, L. M., Hart, T., Juares, M. A., Korczak-Abshire, M., Milinevsky, G., Santos, M., Trathan, P. N., Watters, G. M., & Southwell, C. (2018). Estimating nest-level phenology and reproductive success of colonial seabirds using time-lapse cameras. Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 9(8),1853–1863. https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210X.13015
  11. Jones, F. (2019). Using the Penguin Watch network to examine phenology and breeding success in Pygoscelis penguins. [PhD thesis]. Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Green Templeton College. https://doi.org/10.5287/ora-z6oa1g6bq
  12. Juarez Martinez, I., Kacelnik, A., Jones, F. M., Hinke, J. T., Dunn, M. J., Rey, A. R., Lynch, H. J., Owen, K., & Hart, T. (2026). Record phenological responses to climate change in three sympatric penguin species. Journal of Animal Ecology, 95(3), 455–469. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2656.70201
  13. Korczak-Abshire, M., Hinke, J. T., Milinevsky, G., Juáres, M. A., & Watters, G. M. (2021). Coastal regions of the northern Antarctic Peninsula are key for gentoo populations. Biology Letters, 17(1), 20200708. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2020.0708
  14. Loparev, S. A. (2003). Irregular breeding, migratory-wintering and vagrant species of the ornithofauna of Graham Coast of Antarctic Peninsula. Berkut, 12(1–2), 50–56. (In Russian)
  15. Muller-Schwarze, C., & Muller-Schwarze, D. (1975). A survey of twenty-four rookeries of pygoscelid penguins in the Antarctic Peninsula region. In B. Stonehouse (Ed.), The Biology of Penguins (pp. 209–320). London, Macmillan.
  16. Muller-Schwarze, C., & Muller-Schwarze, D. (1980). Display Rate and Speed of Nest Relief in Antarctic Pygoscelid Penguins. The Auk, 97(4), 825–831.
  17. Peklo, A. M. (2001). Materials on species composition and quantitative distribution of birds in the Drake Passage and on adjacent water area in March 1998. Vysnyk naukovo-pryrodnychogo muzeju NAN Ukrainy, 1, 132–137. (In Russian)
  18. Peklo, A. M. (2007). The Birds of Argentine Islands and Petermann Island. Kryvyy Rih. Mineral Publishers. (In Russian)
  19. Peklo, A. M., & Dykyy, I. V. (2010). On some rare bird species of the Argentine islands (Antarctica). Zbirnik prac’ Zoolohichnogo muzeju (Kyiv), 41, 145–153. (In Russian)
  20. Poncet, S., & Poncet, J. (1987). Censuses of penguin populations of the Antarctic Peninsula, 1983–87. British Antarctic Survey Bulletin, 77, 109–129.
  21. Smagol, V., & Molchanoff, S. (2016). The Topical Segregation of Penguins of Genus Pygoscelis and Antarctic shags (Phalacrocorax bransfieldensis). Ukrainian Antarctic Journal, (15), 106–113. https://doi.org/10.33275/1727-7485.15.2016.96