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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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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 ca...
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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 co...
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