PENGUINS!

To say that seeing my first wild penguin was exciting would be an understatement. Instantly recognisable from a distance, he stood open-winged on the beach, sunning himself. Every so often there’d be a little waddle as he repositioned to get a better tan (do penguins get tans?). Yes, it seemed a little odd that he was solitary. Penguins are usually found in colonies and never break away. Being flightless birds, they’re easy targets for pretty much anything else. However, the biggest thing in my mind was “OMGZ! PENGUIN!”.



I crept closer and started snapping away. You’re supposed to keep a distance of 25 metres but you can’t resist the urge to keep going. It’s like a drug. A drug that’s decorated like a two-tone ska album and waddles. Eventually, he got spooked and did the world’s funniest run into the water. A quick dive under the waves and he was gone. Short but sweet. But wait…what’s this?



Fuck off. That’s, like, well loads.

They are Gentoo penguins and identifiable by their smaller size and lack of colour (compared to King and Rockhoppers). They’re also awesome.

These pictures were all shot on a beach near my house. Apparently, it’s privately owned and you have to get a key to use it. Preservation of the habitat is key for wildlife. The Falklands are home to dozens of bird species. Yes, there’s penguins but there’s also birds like this:



The Southern Caracara comes from nearby South America and is a beautiful bird of prey. Though slightly smaller than some of the eagles on the island, it makes up for it with a much cooler looking colour scene.



This is a turkey vulture. It’s big and ugly. It was also on my garden fence looking at me. Like other vultures, it’s a carrion bird: it eats only dead stuff. What the Caracara kills, it eats the leftovers. Nature at work. Don’t you love it?

Expect to see much more of these birds over the coming months. There are also dolphins off the island at the moment, but not many. It’s winter until around September and they’re more likely to return in the summertime, along with whales.

Next post will be about the town of Stanley.

Don't forget to join the Facebook group and invite people!

Peace

xx