The Falklands are low wet islands.
FIGAS flights connect the Falkland islands.
On the Falklands, Magellanic penguins build nest burrows in the soft peat.
A pair of <span class="bird">Rockhopper Penguins</span> <span class="species">Eudyptes chrysocome</span> on Saunders Island.
Albatross are supremely graceful in flight.
<span class="bird">Upland Geese</span> <span class="species">Chloephaga picta</span> are common around The Rookery on Saunders Island.
The isolated shipping container at The Rookery on Saunders Island.
Some of the comforts of home.
Colonies are crowded, noisy, and smelly. Few bird species have a developed sense of smell, so it's just noisy and crowded to these ones.
<span class="bird">Imperial Shags</span> <span class="species">Phalacrocorax atriceps</span> breed in mixed colonies with <span class="bird">Rockhopper Penguins</span> <span class="species">Eudyptes chrysocome</span> on Saunders and Sea Lion.
Saunders Island is still a working sheep farm.
A building in the main settlement on Saunders Island.
<span class="bird">Kelp Geese</span> <span class="species">Chloephaga hybrida</span> can be seen on land and in the water.
Looking south-east along Saunders Island.
<span class="bird">Snowy Sheathbills</span> <span class="species">Chionis alba</span> on kelp below the Rockhopper colony at The Rookery, Saunders Island.
<span class="bird">Black-browed Albatross</span> <span class="species">Thalassarche melanophris</span> nests are laid on steep cliffs overlooking the sea. Behind this nestling, you can see Rockhopper Penguins resting after leaping out of the sea.
Albatross are long-lived birds with slow reproductive rates. A pair builds and maintains a beautiful mud-cup nest.
A slightly damp <span class="bird">Rockhopper Penguin</span> <span class="species">Eudyptes chrysocome</span> on Saunders Island.
<span class="bird">Turkey Vultures</span> <span class="species">Cathartes aura</span> are common around the Falklands.
A close-up view of the <span class="bird">Imperial Shag</span> <span class="species">Phalacrocorax atriceps</span>.
The beautiful <span class="bird">Dolphin Gulls</span> <span class="species">Larus scoresbii</span> are much easier to see in the Falklands than on the South American mainland.
Looking west along Saunders Island.
<span class="bird">Falkland Steamerducks</span> <span class="species">Tachyeres brachypterus</span> were visible in or near the water on Sea Lion and Saunders.
A group of friendly <span class="bird">Tussockbirds</span> <span class="species">Cinclodes antarcticus</span> met our plane when it landed on Sea Lion Island.
Both <span class="bird">Upland</span> <span class="species">Chloephaga picta</span> and <span class="bird">Ruddy-headed Geese</span> <span class="species">Chloephaga rubidiceps</span> are readily visible on the Falklands.
A <span class="bird">Brown Skua</span> <span class="species">Stercorarius antarctica</span> chick hiding in the grass on Sea Lion Island.
This <span class="bird">Striated Caracara</span> <span class="species">Phalcoboenus australis</span> was very curious and bold.
This <span class="bird">Striated Caracara</span> <span class="species">Phalcoboenus australis</span> found us on Sea Lion Island.
A rainbow over Sea Lion Island.
The <span class="bird">Striated Caracara</span> <span class="species">Phalcoboenus australis</span> is globally threatened and only easily seen in the Falklands.
Resting Elephant Seals.
A pair of <span class="bird">Brown Skuas</span> <span class="species">Stercorarius antarctica</span> with some meat.
An adult <span class="bird">Brown Skua</span> <span class="species">Stercorarius antarctica</span> remains vigilant near its chicks.
<span class="bird">Snowy Sheathbills</span> <span class="species">Chionis alba</span> scavenge around Penguin and mammal colonies in the far south, like this bird on Sea Lion Island.
One afternoon, <span class="bird">South American Snipes</span> <span class="species">Gallinago paraguaiae</span> were visible and audibly winnowing everywhere on Sea Lion Island. On the other days, we neither saw nor heard them.
The <span class="bird">South American Snipe</span> <span class="species">Gallinago paraguaiae</span> is nearly invisible in the grass.
It's always good fortune to see a Snipe.
A <span class="bird">Snowy Sheathbill</span> <span class="species">Chionis alba</span> on the beach on Sea Lion Island.
<span class="bird">Rock Shags</span> <span class="species">Phalacrocorax magellanicus</span> on Sea Lion Island.
A <span class="bird">Magellanic Oystercatcher</span> <span class="species">Haematopus leucopodus</span> on Sea Lion Island.
Penguins are popular in Stanley, the capital of the Falklands.
<span class="bird">King Penguins</span> <span class="species">Aptenodytes patagonicus</span> returning to the sea at Volunteer Point on East Falkland.
<span class="bird">King Penguins</span> <span class="species">Aptenodytes patagonicus</span> returning from the sea at Volunteer Point on East Falkland.