To the unprepared mind, the
Falkland/Malvinas Islands are just a speck of land somewhere down the globe, in
front of South America. To people with some more information, they are an
interesting geological curiosity: a piece of Africa that sailed across the
Atlantic and now sits comfortably on the South American continental shelf.
To the lucky visitor, amongst which
we can count ourselves, the islands are a beautiful land of gently rolling
hills and precipitous cliffs – teeming with magnificent birds! Today, we were
treated to see 2 aspects of this bird paradise.
In New Island, after a nice hike
across pastures, we arrived to a natural amphitheatre carved into a cliff,
where black-browed albatross, rockhopper penguins and blue-eyed cormorants nest
together in relatively peaceful vicinity. Albatrosses were busy courting, and
remodelling their impressive, multi-layered nests made of mud and grass;
penguins were methodically patrolling the neighbourhood to steal as many
pebbles as possible from the neighbour’s nests; cormorants were stretching
their necks to show off their elegant profiles and tufts, as if to say: look
how beautiful I am! Meanwhile, skuas, cara-caras and vultures patiently flew
overhead, waiting for the opportunity to snatch breakfast from the
unsuspecting/distracted parents…
In West Point Island, we also hiked
across to the cliffside, to be met by a powerfully agitated sea crashing
against the imposing rock walls. The golden afternoon light was superb, the air
teemed with juvenile albatross learning the art of flight, all manner of geese paraded
the beach with their chicks following in train, we had dolphins accompanying
the boats on our return to the ship – what a wonderful day!
