Falklands, January 2017
In
January 2017 we visited the Falkland islands with a small group of
photographers, led by
Ralph Paonessa. The islands are located in the
southern Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of Argentina but under British rule.
Flights to the F'lands still need to be made from Chile - not permitted from
Argentina - and arrive at the Brtish airforce base near the F'lands' capital
Port Stanley. The 1982 conflict between Britain and Ergentina continues to
be a significant part of the Falklands news, as published in the only -
weekly - local newspaper "Penguin
News".
Penguins are indeed one the main attractions. Gentoos, Magellanics,
Rockhoppers and Kings - and the odd Macaroni if you are lucky - can be found
in many places and in astounding numbers. They are very approachable, don't
seem to mind photographers at all and breed in colonies together with
Cormorants and next to Albatrosses. They all had their young when we were
there, with all the begging and feeding and constant trips to the ocean
back and forth that is to be expected under those conditions.
Click HERE for a 360 panorama,
including a small video and some additional pics.
The large sea mammals are the other main attraction. Sea Lions, Elephants
and Leopards roam the waters and spend much of their days on some of the
endless beaches, lazing in the sun - or in the frequent F'land rain. Big as
the Sea Elephants and Lions are, the Sea Leopard is without doubt the most
fearsome among them and relatively seldom seen. We were fortunate to see one
on a landing near one of our stops and one can imagine a Leopard eating a
Penguin whole (in practice that is not quite what happens, but the Leopard's
mouth is certainly big enough).
Large colonies with great numbers of eggs and young chicks also attract
raptors and they - Caracaras, Skuas and Turkey Vultures - were everywhere,
sometimes even breeding right next to Penguins. The raptors defend their
nests vigorously and we got whacked in the head by a pair of Caracaras
without ever having actually seen their nest, which must have been somewhere
near by in the tall vegetation.
Accomodation varied significantly, ranging from very comfortable with
excellent meals prepared fresh every day to relatively Spartan, with bunk
beds at both ends of a metal container. Especially this last place, at "The
Neck" on Saunders Island, right next to large Penguin colonies, offered
wonderful photo opportunities, including some great sunsets. All in all a
great photo trip and a very pleasant two weeks under Ralph's leadership and
with our fellow travelers Carol, John, Susan and Patrick.
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Landscape and people
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