On my way to the airport I realized that I had forgotten to pack my hiking boots. I had to make a quick stop at a Dick’s sporting goods store enroute. They had a terrible selection of waterproof hikers in my size. I had to settle for a close fit… ugh. I hated buying a half size “too small” but the thought of walking around for two weeks in lightweight kicks pushed the sale. I was going to hold-off and see what was available in Stanley, but feared that I would be living too close to the edge. I had been keeping an eye on the weather all week before the trip and the forecast up until the day I left was calling for extreme rain and wind with a chance of snow— yikes!
My flight from JFK in NY to Santiago Chile was about 9 hours. On my flight and in my group was Alison Kelly, she is so nice and fun to be with. She is good friends with Kitty Kono (longtime friend/client) and Kitty asked me to take good care of her. I also saw my old friend Kevin Watson boarding the same plane. Our flight boarded on time but it felt like forever before we took-off. My group and I stayed the night in Santiago to catch our early morning flight into Stanley.
Our itinerary started off with a free day in Stanley. It’s a good time to grab some last minute goodies at the local grocery and to do some packing adjustments.
Our first island visit was the at the “Neck”on Saunders island. The accommodation is an old shipping container once used by researchers. It is now fondly called the cabin. The cabin is a bit rustic but extremely well located on a remote beach teaming with wildlife. You literally feel like you’ve been dropped off in the middle of nowhere at the end of the world.
While at the Neck, we enjoyed great weather. We had a mix of extreme wind and sun which allowed for some great photo opportunities. The Gentoo penguins just started hatching their eggs and there were plenty of little chicks to photograph. Not to mention Skuas and Johnny Rooks that were strategically placed along the edges of the colony, waiting for their next meal. The Black-browed albatross colony had lots of eggs but no chicks yet. The adults were still in courtship mode (my favorite time) and spent their days doing synchronized movements. They repeatedly crossed and tapped their bills together, sometimes making a clanking sound. They also spend time preening each other. All of this intimate behavior makes for great photos.
Black-browed albatross
Black-browed albatross at last light.
Gentoo in early morning light.
During our time on Saunders we enjoyed photographing the very animated and fearless Rockhopper penguins leap out of the water onto the cliff rocks. Sometimes the waves and winds came crashing in with great force. It was hard not to feel bad for the tiny penguins as they slammed into the rocks.
They reminded me of soldiers coming out of the water to work.
One of my favorites, Rockhopper lost in the surf!
There were a large number of King penguins (approximately 23), with one Oakem boy and a handful of juvies. One afternoon, we watched as the young kings spent time in the surf playing and fighting with each other. The whole group got some great photos and had lots of laughs watching them.
King penguin juveniles play fighting.
In addition to penguins at the Neck, we had several chances with the Commerson’s dolphins playing in the huge surf. There was even a large Leopard seal surfing the coast looking for his next meal. Overall the Neck was a very productive stop on our adventure.
Leopard seal surfing the shoreline for food!
Commerson’s dolphin, I loved the simple abstract pattern of the dolphins in the water.
Our next island visit was at Sea Lion. Sea Lion Island is one of my favorite stops on the itinerary. The welcoming feel the moment you touch down on the island is unsurpassable. The lodge has a nice layout and you immediately feel that you are back in civilization after leaving the Neck- <wink>.
We spent a lot of our time on North Beach and South Beach while on Sea Lion. Both beaches are very different in terms of photography but both are well worth the time.
While on Sea Lion we saw four Orcas hunting in and around the orca pool. It was great fun to try to keep an eye out for them. We saw loads of Elephant seal, all bulls and weaners, two large colonies of Gentoo penguins, 2 small colonies of Rockhopper penguins, Silvery grebes with a chick, Magellanic oystercatchers with chicks, King penguins, snipe, giant petrels, Striated caracara and so much more…
Elephant seal weaner in the surfs edge, slow shutter speed-1/25th second.
Kelp goose, male
Mama Kelp goose brooding 4 chicks, with one popping gout.
Southern giant petrels. I wish the background line wasn’t intersecting them.
Silvery grebe with chick
Our third stop was a visit to Bleaker Island, which is another favorite. The lodge on Bleaker is lovely and the food is always fantastic. Bleaker has an enormous colony of Imperial cormorants. There are also nice cliffs for photographing rockhoppers. Plus their gorgeous beach is by far the best place to capture penguins darting out of the water. We had some great sightings including a Macaroni penguin, a leucistic (partially white) Imperial Cormorant and a Northern Rockhopper. Those special sightings kept us all pretty busy! We also saw loads of Sea lions.
leucistic Imperial Cormorant, this one reminds me of a penguin.
a leucistic Imperial Cormorant
Northern Rockhopper, note the long plumes.
Macaroni penguin
Magellanic penguin
Magellanic penguin
Gentoo penguin
Gentoo penguin
Gentoo penguin making a big splash
Volunteer Point was our second to last stop. It is another must see and always on my route. The King penguin colony is huge and photographing them on the beach is a real treat. This year the kings put on quite a show as did the weather with a mix of rain, hail and sunshine. But overall, the ominous clouds added to some of the photos.
Volunteer Point, King penguins.
Volunteer Point, King penguins.
Volunteer Point, King penguins n high-key.
Volunteer Point, King penguins n high-key.
Volunteer Point, King penguins n high-key.
We also went up north to Cape Bougainville to look for Macaroni penguins, we found six. The weather again gave us a bit of a workout but hey, bad weather forces you to be creative.
Macaroni penguin
Rockhopper penguin
Imperial cormorants
Overall, I loved my group and had a very enjoyable photo adventure in the Falklands. I’m already looking forward to getting back there!
For most of these pictures, I used my Sony 200-600mm lens and my Sony A1 body, thankfully I always travel with 2 bodies as one failed due to extreme weather on the Neck.