If you don't want to read about wildlife, then please click on this link: http://www.gobicargetbaatard.com/
So just in case you were wondering if I was turning into a bit of a geeky spotter, the answer is "Yes, I am". I've gone mad taking photos of anything that seems to have life in it! And I bought a book on Falklands wildlife, just so I know what I'm talking about. So, switching to David Attenborough mode now; This week has seen us enter spring, and the beginning of mating season. All of the birds that went to America for their holidays, have returned, all eager for some loving, and it's pretty obvious because it seems they're all "at it"! To start us off, here's a Giant Petrel, with it's 2 metre wingspan, making it the second largest wingspan in the Falklands, behind the wandering albatross...
...and here's a rare sight, according to Alan the bird spotter- a black-necked swan. Apparently there's only 300 pairs in the Falklands...
Oh- Alan is a local whose lived here for 20 years. I guess you have to be a bird spotter if you've lived here 20 years... Anyway, he gave me a lift in his 4x4 down to Bertha's beach, which saved me a walk. I still walked another 12 miles after that, but he told me a lot of interesting things about wildlife... The rarest birds he's seen in the Falklands are humming birds and flamingos! So after I left him, I wandered on down the beach in search of the giant human-eating "Gentoo Penguin"... but there were some interesting other little things on the way...
So there's my lift above, and the untouched sand hills on the beach. Those birds below are 2 "pied oystercatchers" and a"Long-tailed Meadowlark".
As you walk down the beach, it becomes more and more untouched, and the ground looks like it's rock, but it's just layers and layers of sand that has been blown, never washed over, and that has made this amazing colourful pattern! The 2 ducks are not ducks. They are male and female "Kelp Geese"... the white one being male.
And so I carried on walking, a bit bored of this amazing wildlife extravaganza... but it was about to go out of this world, as I suddenly came across man's most feared enemy- the 30ft tall GENTOO PENGUIN!!
OK... they're only 24 inches tall... but after getting that close I had to make the most of it! Because I was on my own, I went onto the higher ground to see where the penguins lived, (about 300 metres inland) and after spending an hour watching them, they got used to me and I was able to get in really close to them, and got these great photos. Especially the feet. No-one EVER photos the feet. So I had to make up for it! I think I caught them giving mating calls too...
Well, I had to put that last one in just to prove I was there!
Here's a little video I made...
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More Fabulous photos - even your football team are tuning in to this now.
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Anonymous
5/10/09 07:30
Doug, your pics are just so awesome!
Paula
7/10/09 19:48