Birds and Wildlife of the Falkland Islands

Today, after breakfast, we take an internal flight to Saunders Island – population 5! We shall base ourselves at ”the settlement” that is reminiscent of a bird observatory in the 1950’s. Saunders Island is around an hour’s flying time from Stanley, three miles off the north-west coast of West Falkland.

The ruins of Port Egmont, the first British settlement in 1765, are a 30 minute walk away, where we’ll be warmly welcomed by the owners David and Suzan Pole-Evans. The accommodation at Saunders Island is on a self-catering basis, so we’ll travel there with home cooked meals packs from Stanley. These consist of cereal, toast, juice, etc. for breakfast; the makings of a packed lunch (such as bread and sandwich fillings, savory pastries, etc.); and a 3 course evening meal with simple reheating instructions. There is also a small store in the settlement where you can buy beer, wine, soft drinks and additional food if you wish. This trip does need a small helping of the pioneer spirit !!

Saunders is one of the Falklands supreme wildlife sites, with Gentoo, Southern Rockhopper, Magellanic, Macaroni and Chinstrap penguins. Since 1980, a small breeding colony of King Penguins has become established. Four species of raptors, King and Rock Cormorants, Black-necked Swans and many other shorebirds are easily accessible from the settlement or at the many and varied wildlife ’hotspots’ around the island.

However, the attraction to the wildlife enthusiast is undoubtedly the Black-browed Albatross colony which stretches along the north coast from The Neck (so named because it is a narrow sandy isthmus between two high parts of the island) which is about an hour’s 4 wheel drive away and we’ll spend the balance of one day here observing the amazing seabird and Penguin colonies.

The northern beach is covered in stunning white sand pounded by unrelenting surf. The wildlife colonies continue along the north coast to Rookery Mountain. The ”shower” formed by fresh water running down over the cliff and used by the Rockhopper penguins to preen their feathers makes for great photographs. On rare occasions Fin and Sei Whales have been seen off the island. In all cases amazing photo opportunities abound.

There are varied habitats, including wetlands and permanent lakes with areas of dune formations and extensive steep cliff slopes, particularly towards the northern and western coasts.

There are more albatross and penguin colonies to the north and east of Rookery Mountain and we shall visit this site as well. We spend Sunday and Monday night on the island with basic, but comfortable accommodation. During the time on Saunders you will have the services of a local driver who is knowledgeable about the local birds and wildlife but is not a professional guide.

After breakfast we take a short flight to Carcass Island and spend two nights here. Carcass islander Rob McGill and his wife Lorraine are the present day hosts on Carcass, offering visitor’s superb hospitality and food a plenty!

Home grown vegetables, organic meat and dairy produce are prepared in true ”camp” style. There are home baked cakes and biscuits for ”afternoon tea” and thick fresh cream and scones.

Accommodation is comfortable and homely – all rooms are ensuite with showers.

Carcass is easily explored by foot at leisure. In over 100 years of habitation, Carcass Island, named after HMS Carcass, has had three environmentally conscious owners who have managed to avoid the introduction of rats and cats. This freedom from predation has made a difference that is immediately evident and needs to be experienced rather than described. Magellanic Penguins nest around the settlement and a Gentoo Penguin colony is a short walk away.

There is also a large colony of <strong>Striated Caracara</strong>, a small <strong>Elephant Seal</strong> colony, <strong>King Cormorants</strong> and Black-crowned Night Herons to be found on the Island.

Other birds we’ll look for include <strong>Ruddy-headed Goose</strong>, <strong>Blackish Cinclodes</strong>, <strong>South American Snipe</strong>, <strong>White-bridled Finch</strong> and the endemic <strong>Cobb’s Wren</strong>. <strong>Kelp Geese</strong> and <strong>Flying Steamer Duck</strong>should be in evidence too.

We’ll take a day excursion to West Point Island, taking to the seas on the MV Condor (capacity 10), with a journey time of approximately 1 hour. We’ll be on the lookout for dolphins and seabirds on the way, and we should be able to see <strong>Slender-billed</strong>and <strong>Antarctic Prions</strong> and <strong>Common Diving Petrels</strong>. Marshy areas should hold Yellow-billed Pintail, Chiloe Wigeon, Silver and Yellow-billed Teals.

We can also explore the settlement and surrounding areas, such as Devils Nose Cliffs, where wildlife includes <strong>Rockhopper Penguins</strong>, <strong>Black-browed Albatross</strong> and much more.

During the time on Carcass Island you will have the services of a local driver who is knowledgeable about the local birds and wildlife but is not a professional guide.

After spending most of the morning on Carcass Island we take the short flight back to Stanley, where we transfer to the Malvina House Hotel for 2 nights and then enjoy a tour of the ”city” and a visit to the newly built museum.

Stanley, situated in the North East of East Falkland has a population of roughly 2,000 inhabitants, which is 85% of the overall population of the islands and is the most remote and smallest ‘capital’ in the world.

Despite its relatively small size Stanley offers good and interesting amenities and is a small, tidy and colorful town with a museum and cathedral along with war memorials and basic retailers, along with a selection of pubs and restaurants. The hospitality of the town’s people is well known and visitors are made very welcome.

A walk along the Stanley waterfront from our comfortable hotel will produce Rock Cormorants as they fly to their nests on an old shipwreck in the harbor, Crested and Falkland Steamer Ducks dabble in the shallows and Southern Giant Petrels squabble with Kelp and Dolphin Gulls over tidbits discarded from fishing boats.

A day excursion from Stanley to Volunteer Point is sure to rank among the tour highlights as we visit the King Penguin colony at the point.

Falkland Steamer Ducks, Blackish and Magellanic Oystercatchers and Brown-hooded Gull will be around. Comical young King Penguins wearing their coats of thick down will be just the first of many indelible memories to take home from these extraordinary South Atlantic islands.

Named after the ship Volunteer, Volunteer Point is part of the Johnson’s Harbor Farm which covers around 36,000 acres. Volunteer beach is a 2 mile long white sandy beach, bordered by high grassy banks that provide ideal habitats for three species of penguins: Gentoo, Magellanic and King. The Volunteer point King Penguin colony is the largest on the Islands, with around 1,300 adults, rearing roughly 400 chicks each year.

Over 1,000 pairs of Gentoo Penguins are resident all year round at Volunteer Point, and many other bird species have been recorded in the area, including several breeding pairs of Antarctic Skua who target the eggs and young of the penguins.

We leave the morning free for some souvenir shopping and a stroll around the harbor and then transfer to Mount Pleasant International Airport for our return LATAM Chile flight to Punta Arenas and Santiago and connections home.