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| Getting some fresh air - taken by Chris Andersen on his iPhone! |
Day 2 – February 29, 2020
At Sea
We were heading for the Falkland Islands. Most people only know the Falklands because of the war between Argentina and Britain in 1982. It is also home to some pretty amazing wildlife.
First up was a bio security check, if you think Australia border security are finicky you haven’t been to the Falklands. We had to use paperclips to prise out grains of sand, and clean any dirt or fibres out of any Velcro. This had to be done every time we left the ship whether we were going on land or not.
Our first full day at sea was overcast, windy and raining which made the seas a bit rough. Inevitably I got seasick even though I had taken a tablet, had put some herbal patches on as well as my wristbands. It is what I had feared the most. I didn’t quite make it to the restaurant for lunch and a kind man helped me back to my room and then went back down and got me some bread and apples. The doctor came to my room and gave me a stronger tablet than what I had been taking but it didn’t stay down long. I rang the doctor to ask if I should take another one and he said he could give me an injection if I liked or see how I went. No injections for me unless I’m dying, so I waited and was okay. Our housekeeper got the kitchen to make me some ginger tea, with real ginger which was sweet of her.
There were quite a few talks in the auditorium that day. The first one was on history which I missed. It turned out we could get a live stream on the TV in our room so I was able to watch the next few from bed. I thought I should make an effort to go down to dinner. Nothing on the menu was conducive for someone who was seasick so I asked for some vegetables and chicken. I managed about three mouthfuls before I had to go outside and get some fresh air. After sitting back down at the table for a minute, I knew I had to go back to bed.
Presentations: History of the Falklands, Expedition Photography and Birds of the Falklands
Day 3 – March 1, 2020
West Point – Falkland Islands
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| Getting into the zodiac |
Feeling much better today but took another heavy duty sea sickness tablet just in case. Our first landing was at West Point Island. It was the first time we had to kit up. Two pairs of socks, beanie, gloves, thermals, jumper, jacket, lifejacket and a backpack with two heavy cameras. We had signed up to one of four groups so that they don’t have everyone going down to the mud room at once. My Whale group was the last group to leave the ship today. We were ferried to shore in groups of ten in zodiacs and you have to step into the water to get to shore which is why we needed to always wear waterproof pants over our gumboots. We had a choice to either walk the 2.1kms to the other side of the island to see the albatross or to take a ride in the Landrover. With the weight of my camera gear I didn’t have to think very hard. Anyone who took the car didn’t miss out on anything but a bit of exercise and my Fitbit did happy dances at 10,000 steps, probably from the zodiac, so it though I was being good. The viewing area around the black-browed albatross and rockhopper penguins was a bit tight and the surrounding tussock grasses were quite high which made taking photos a challenge. Trying to work out the flying pattern of the albatross was not easy; I gave up and just tried to get whatever I could. The penguins were on the other side of the rockery while we had the albatross chicks closest to us.
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| Adult Black-Browed Albatross |
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| Adult Black-Browed Albatross |
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| Feeding time |
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| Adult Black-Browed Albatross |
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| Rockhopper Penguins |
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| so many pictures, it's hard to choose |
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| Striated Caracara |
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| Rockhopper Penguin Adults |
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| Requesting take off instructions please |
Falklands - Carcass Island
Back to the ship for lunch and then Carcass Island at 2:20pm. We were the third group off the ship this afternoon. It’s 17°C! No need for any thermals or gloves today at all.
Again a long walk across to the other side of the island, but no hitchhiking available this time. We started off at Sandy Beach where there was a group of Magellan penguins, then a 10 minute walk across to Leopold beach where there were a number of groups including Gentoo penguins too, in the grasslands and on the beach. It was a challenge getting up off my knees after taking photos at eye level with the penguins with the weight of my other camera in my backpack.
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| Singing or an argument, it's hard to tell |
Back on board, we clean our boots as we disembark, our ID is zapped to make sure they can account for us all, then the great undress begins again.
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| Magellanic Penguin |
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| Magellanic Penguin |
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| Magellanic Penguin chick |
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| Gentoo Penguins |
Each day ends with a recap and briefing just before dinner in the auditorium. Dinner at 7:30 and usually some other activity at 9:30, mostly talks but always different.
Day 4 - March 2, 2020
Stanley, Falklands
Breakfast was at 7am and today was a trip into the town of Stanley, the capital of the Falkland islands. The local currency here is the Falklands pound but they also take sterling and US dollars.
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| Stanley |
We had a few hours to wander around the town and visit the museum. They had video there that gave you a perspective of what it was like to live through the war. Basically the Argentines think of the Falklands as theirs but I don’t think they have ever lived there. The British have been there since 1690 and didn’t want to come under Argentine rule. Stalemate. Argentina just marched in took over for a few months then the British took it back. There are still many land mines all over the place. There was a sign next to the taxidermic birds saying "please don't feed the birds, they are stuffed". They have obviously had a problem! It was probably my least interesting outing.
We were late getting back to the ship as it took forever to refuel the ship. Lunch was after 2pm and we finished the day with a film on the Falklands war and a geology talk which I skipped because I went up the observation deck on level 7 to watch some dolphins and whales. When we saw the talk on the Falklands Wolf and how it must have got there from Argentina when the tide was low, I realised that I should not have skipped that Geology talk and went to every one after that. The sea levels around the islands have changed a lot over time.
After dinner Adrian gave a talk on the thought to be extinct Night Parrot in Australia but they have found evidence in Western Australia and Queensland where they nest in the large Spinifex.
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Great pics, thanks for sharing, (haven't got time to read right now, but I'll be coming back). Thanks Lisa for the link.
ReplyDeleteFabulous photos! Love the look of the Rockhopper penguins, very amusing looking!!! And that one of the chick, it's bigger than its mother!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI know but it's all fluff, yes I think the rockhoppers are my favourites too but then the gentoos are cheeky and the kings ate my camera straps - oh so hard to choose
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