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Saunders and Keppel Islands Friday 7 May 2021 No 26

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On Friday last I had a rare, well sought-after journey.  As part of my work a group of us had to travel to Keppel Island to photograph some historic buildings.  Keppel Island is one of the few larger islands in the Falklands archipelago without an airstrip.  It was the site of a former missionary station which sought to teach the natives of Terra del Fuego (now Chile) farming and Christianity CofE style.  The missionary station was named after Archbishop Cranmer. Keppel Station - with Keppel Mountain behind To get to Keppel Island we had to fly to Saunders Island and then travel to Keppel Island by rib.   That journey was stunning with rock shags and cormorants keeping pace with the rib.   We had   dolphins leaping alongside us. The woolshed has an interesting background.  The building was used as a chapel originally and this may account for the unusual keystone.  Whilst it is tempting to think the keystone is a representation of someone called Sam - the initials are believed to repr
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Welcome the Honourable Gilander Octavian Dawson 8 May 2021 No 25

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My 8-week-old Tri-colour merle (aka ‘blue’) Border Collie Gilander (aka Gil) has joined me in my house in Stanley.  As is evident from the photographs he is seriously cute. According to the locals there are only two types of dog on the Falkland Islands – either working dogs, or ‘poodles.’   Working dogs here have a hardy, outdoor life.   Typically, they live outdoors all year round.   They live in caged kennels unless they are rounding up sheep or other livestock. In Falklands terms Gil is probably set to be a poodle – although I am going to let him be assessed for his ability to sniff out rodents in a couple of month’s time. I’ve been asked about his name – why the Hon. Gilander Octavian Dawson.   Well, all politicians here are ‘The Honourable’ and, without being rude to them, I do believe the honorific is somewhat overused – so Gil may as well benefit from the title too. Gilander is Manx for ‘Andrew’ servant.’   It is a name you can shout without too much fear of embarrassment
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Bleaker Island 27-29 April No 24

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I’ve taken a couple of days leave to explore Bleaker Island.   It’s one of many Islands off the coast of Lafonia, East Falkland - and a noted haven for wildlife.   Like most of Lafonia it is largely flat. Flat - with no tussac evident - likely grazed away The Island was bought from the Falkland Islands Company some 20 years ago by its current owners.  They’ve done much since the purchase to improve the land.  Like most of the Falklands the land shows evidence of being over-grazed by sheep - with little evidence of tussac grass.  However efforts are being made to replant it. Tussac very evident! Bleaker Island is home, all year round to colonies of Gentoo penguins.  The Magellanic and Rockhopper Penguins migrate - and when I was there they’d headed off to warmer waters.  Penguins are destructive of their local environments.  The burrows of the Magellanic penguins can be tripping hazards too as they resemble large rabbit holes!  The Gentoo colonies leave large bare patches of soil and
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Darwin, Saladero and San Carlos - 24-25 April 2021 No 23

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  This weekend twelve of us went to Darwin Lodge (yes, named after Charles…) and spent the weekend walking and enjoying mass dining.   We were organised by the Director of Education – and were each given specific cooking responsibilities. Darwin, and the neighbouring settlement of Goose Green lie on a narrow isthmus of land connecting the mountainous part of East Falkland with Lafonia – the southern flat, and I mean ‘as a pancake’ flat part of East Falkland.      Darwin Lodge is on the coast – however it looks more like being on a lake shore as it is so far inland away from the ‘open sea.’ Our first expedition on Saturday morning, after what can only be described as a ‘stellar breakfast’ – yes I was required to provide it and cook it with Geoff – we headed to Saladero.   This was a fascinating place.   Saladero is the name given to the Department of Agriculture’s national farm – where all manner of agricultural experimentation takes place.   It is also home to the national sheep stud
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Whale Point - 30 January 2021 - No 22

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Eleven of us, in three Land Rover cars, a Defender (with a driver and a passenger), an old style Freelander (with a driver and four passengers), and my Evoque (with me and three passengers) had something of an adventure.  We drove to Whale Point from Stanley.   Now unless you know the Falkland Islands well you won't appreciate that the last ten miles or so of the journey are entirely off road.    When I say 'off road' I really mean off road.  In some places there was evidence of a track, in other places there was no evidence that any vehicle had passed this way before. Whale Point appears to have got its name from the ancient whale bones that can be found some distance from the shore.   I've no idea how they got there. The beach behind the whale bones is a beautiful white sand bay.  There are ducks, geese, petrel's, gulls and gentoo penguins.  There is a penguin colony in the dunes behind the beach. The penguins are always entertaining to watch.  Whether it is their
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Volunteer Point - 17 January 2021 - No 21

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King Penguin’s bonding Foreplay Puritanical observer - who registered its objection by pecking Ahh Four of us and our driver ventured to Volunteer Point on Sunday.  It took around 2:30hrs to travel the 45 miles from Stanley.  About a third of the route was on tarmac, another third on consolidated gravel roads - and the final third was real off roaming travel on nothing more than the occasional track.   Volunteer Point is an isthmus with the open sea - the South Atlantic on one side and an inlet on the other.  It is home to large King Penguin and Gentoo breeding colonies along side each other with Magellanic Penguins nest in burrows in the nearby dunes. The bigger the penguin the cleaner the breeding colony!  The Gentoo colony positively stank.  The Magellanic’s burrows were fly infested.   Changing of the guard? Kings in front of Magellanics   Gentoo penguin on the march King Penguin colony The King Penguins appeared to swim for fun 
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