Fun in The Falklands: Friday, December 28th

We arrived in the Falklands in the early morning. It was strange to see: 1) real darkness, 2) green land.

The day began early to allow us time for all the activities planned. Kayaking at West Point Island began at 8. We said our last paddle was the best ever, but.....

It began quietly; as we made our way in strong current through kelp beds and clear water with birds of various types watching from the rocky shore. Then the fun began.

A young sea lion began investigating the skinny yellow and red intruders. Then more began popping up their little bald heads and became more curious and brave. It seemed like a pod or family with a "Big Mama" - her head was easily 15" across.

Big Mama & baby

At one point I braced the boat - I was sure that the pup who repeatedly nudged my elbow and was less than 2ft from my face was going to try to pop onto the deck. He or she was small by sea lion standards but could have easily been over 100lbs. 
What Scott and Mario's underwater videos later revealed was that there were between 5 and 10 animals playing underneath us.
Sophie, our Zodiac driver heard all this fun and drove over to see more. Dolphins came with her, riding the surf off her bow. They stayed and played as well. So we have sea lions, dolphins and birds on the shore. A one point penguins began porpoising as well as if to say, "Hey what about us? We're cute too!"

Kate & Annie watch the penguins play

Annie is amazed!

Sophie & her dolphin friends

The animals continued to play as we got into the Zodiac to return to the ship. The dolphins then followed us all the way back to the ship. Scott and Mario hung off the bow with video running while getting sprayed with 35 degree water in 45 degree air. We'll try to get these videos uploaded to YouTube as soon as possible.

Cold, Wet Faces

 Next stop, West Point harbor.

A 1 1/2 mile hike took us to colonies of nesting Rockhopper Penguins and Black Browed Albatross.

As usual, the animals were unconcerned with humans. We were close enough to touch them and had to be careful not to step on anyone as we made our way through the tussock grass.

So here we are on the side of a cliff. Two very different birds nesting cooperatively. Chicks of both varieties are tended by their parents. Albatross are taking off and landing (these are huge birds with 5+ ft wingspans) Rockhoppers are stumbling around like the stoners of the penguin world. It was noisy, smelly and captivating.

 

When it was time to go, I ran back to the beach - why not? Never pass up a trail run with amazing views, no matter how short.

 After lunch, conditions changed - surprise! The afternoon paddle was cancelled-- and for good reason; the wind had increased to >25knots. 

 







On the beach at Saunders Island the wind was whipping! There were several varieties of penguins as well as several birds that (shall we say) benefit from them.  A walk over the hill revealed more colonies of Penguins and a beautiful beach with white sand, 5+ foot waves and aqua water. Ignore the temperature and the wind and you can imagine a caribbean island - with penguins!

Don't you wonder about this convo?

Delaying stepping in that cold water as long as possible?

It could be Penguin spring break..

The colony here was particularly interesting. In the others we'd been to there'd been no obvious predators. Here the Cara Cara (a bird that looks like a cross between a vulture and a hawk) aggressively steal eggs, and many dead chicks and broken eggs were strewn around. 

Regardless of this cycle of life playing out, the penguins kept us entertained as we were pelted by sand. The wind continued to increase. At 5:30, we called it day and took a wet Zodiac ride back to the ship.