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December 2nd to December 18th 2004
Of the hotspots for wildlife photography I have visited the Falkland Islands are the hottest. Tame, approachable wildlife in great settings, with generally good weather and excellent accommodation placed just where you need it. Step out from the lodges and you are immediately amongst great photo opportunities.
Gentoo penguin We visited between December 2nd and 18th 2004, which are the summer months in the southern hemisphere. The main tourist season lasts from November to February, but several people have told me there is plenty to photograph all year round. Prices for accommodation will plummet out of season and most, but not all, are still open. Weather wise there is not much variation all year. The winter months are cooler, but less windy. Snow is very rare and while the summer months may be warmer, it is often very windy, which stops it getting hot. Some species may be missing out of season, but there will be others replacing them.
Gentoo penguin
Several tour groups visit the Falklands such as Avian Adventures, but for those who like to travel independently it can be done. There are two ways to get there. We went with the RAF from Brize Norton in Oxfordshire. In 2004 this cost £1640 return. It’s a long flight of 16 hours with a 2 hour stop at Ascension Island for refuelling. For details of flights contact the Falklands Islands Government in London on 020 7222 2542. They fly about 3 times a week. In case the plane is forced to detour on route and land in West Africa it is necessary to have a Yellow Fever vaccination well in advance of departure and you need to carry the certificate with you.
Rockhopper penguin We were a group of 4, Dickie Duckett, Dr John, Phillip Newman and myself. With a group of 6 there is a discount available of £300 each on the flight cost. If I had known this earlier I would have recruited two more people.
Black-browed albatross The other route is via Chile and costs considerably less, but takes much longer. I was told by one traveller it was £900, but took 2 full days of travelling to get there. If time is not a problem it is quite a saving.
Kelp goose We booked all our accommodation and internal flights in advance through Stanley Services. Contact them via Jenny Luxton, jluxton@stanley-services.co.fk or PO Box 117, Stanley, Falklands Islands. Tel +500 22622. We did it all by email.
Snipe The RAF flight gets to Mount Pleasant Airport at about 1400 hours, where we were picked up by Jenny in a coach and taken into Stanley 20 miles away. Here we stayed two nights at the Waterfront Bed and Breakfast. After throwing our bags into the rooms we spent the late afternoon photographing night herons, gulls, ducks, geese and great shearwaters along the waterfront. There is a supermarket close to the B&B where we could buy supplies.
King cormorant There are several places to eat an evening meal in town. We either choose the Malvina House Hotel or eat at our B&B. The following morning we were collected at 0730 and taken by Landrover to Volunteer Point, where there is a large king penguin colony as well as gentoos and magellanic penguins. It is a 2 ½ hour journey over rough ground so most of the day is spent travelling and the normal return time is 1500 hours. Ideally we would have left at 0400 hours so to have had some morning light or stayed until about 1900. Either would be possible, but the cost higher. Unfortunately there is no where to stay overnight at Volunteer Point. It is a super spot that must be visited and a great start to the trip. The best pictures are to be had on the beach as the penguins come out of the water. Jenny arranged the landrover and driver for us.
Gentoo penguin After another night in the B&B we caught out first internal flight out to Sea Lion Island. It is often said that you can’t take heavy equipment to the Falklands because they will not allow it on the small inter island planes. This is not true. You can take a fridge if you wish, you simply have to pay for it. The luggage allowance of 14 kilos includes all of your bags. There is no hand luggage and the excess charge is 60p per kilo. All bags, including camera gear, go in the back of the plane, but it is not thrown around as on international flight. Passengers are weighed as well, but only to get the total weight in the airplane. There is no extra charge for heavy people, so we stuffed our photovest pockets full to reduce the excess weight in our bags. Film can go in the hold as there are no x-ray machines. Even with a 600mm f4 lens, 3 cameras bodies and the usual mass of gear I only had to pay £15.60 excess and that was a one off payment for all 4 internal flights. A bargain.
Great skua
Sea Lion Island is a must. The lodge is a super place to stay and wildlife abounds wherever you walk. We stayed 4 nights and could have enjoyed longer. Across the airstrip is a grassy area with very tame snipe. Some individuals allowed pictures with a 20mm lens. There are plenty of grass wrens here too. Higher up above the airstrip on the moorland are rufous chested dotterel. These are not so approachable and require a 500mm lens. In December they will have eggs and are easier around the nest site. Close by the airstrip is Tussock Pond, which is very good for silvery grebe. My best pictures were taken in the evening when the light was in the right direction and the water smoother as the wind died down.
Rufous chested dotterel Going in the opposite direction to the airstrip is a large open bare area with many gentoo penguins nesting. Magellanic penguins are also in the grassy areas. There are a number of very shallow pools where two banded plover, white rumped sandpipers, pied and black oystercatchers were very common. Several species of waterfowl were widespread. In fact there are so many species of geese and ducks it gets confusing. The beaches have dolphin and kelp gulls, turkey vultures, striated caracaras and the wonderful elephant seals. The seals allow a close approach, before they start to yawn, which is a warning. Occasionally there are sea lions too, but they are a lot shyer and aggressive. The staff will take you by landrover to any part of the island and drop you off. It is worth visiting the rockhopper penguin and king cormorant colonies. We were not charged for the vehicle use.
King penguin After 4 nights we flew to Saunders Island where we were driven by Landrover to the Neck, about a hour from the airstrip and settlement. This is a narrow bit of land with sea on both sides. Here we stayed 4 nights in a portacabin, self catering. It is another place that must be visited. We bought some food at the Sea Lion Lodge, such as sausage and bacon and then on Saunders there is a store at the settlement where we were able to add some tins and Weetabix. They also supplied milk. There is a bathroom with hot water in the portacabin and a bedroom with two bunkbeds. The main living area also has two single beds. 12 volt lights are installed and there is a proper gas stove, but no fridge so the milk did not last long. We found our camera batteries lasted if we were careful, but it is possible to rent a generator for £20 a night so that laptops and chargers can be run.
Great skua There is a small king penguin colony here, lots of gentoos and the delightful rockhoppers penguins. There is also a large black browed albatross colony. They are all easy birds to approach and photograph and the albatross make great subjects in flight. Other gulls, waders, geese and ducks abound. After 4 nights we were picked up at 0800 hours and taken back to the settlement where we flew onto Carcass Island. Here we were met by Rob McGill and taken back to his lodge, which is in the most picturesque place we visited. The beach in front of the lodge has black oystercatchers, night herons, pied oystercatchers, crested and striated caracaras, geese and duck. By Landrover we were taken to a king cormorant and night heron colony. Great skuas nest close to the king cormorants. Up on the hill tops are more rufus breasted dotterel.
Elephant seal By the landing strip are some small pools, which have waders, ducks and geese. It is a long way from the lodge so again we were dropped off by landrover. We stayed on Carcass for 3 nights and then flew back to Stanley for another 2 nights in the same B&B. We felt it better to get back two nights early as the small island planes can't always get in to pick you up due to gales or fog and you can't afford to get stranded and miss the main flight home. The spare day in Stanley we spent on Volunteer Point.
Magellanic penguin It is likely you will photograph about 40 species on the Falklands on a 2 week trip and if you don't get some cracking pictures here then it is time to give up. It is simply the easiest and best place going.
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