Falkland Islands
Our second day in the Falklands would be different than our first. Spending time in the town of Stanley yesterday with the ship alongside a floating pier was a nice luxury, but today we wanted to return to adventure and did so. We visited two islands each with their own unique character. Carcass Island, located on the western side of the Falklands, is home to Rod Napier who provided a wonderful late morning tea service for those who wanted to see what settlement life is like on the islands. Some guests walked along the coast for a few miles to his home. During the walk, there were chances to see steamer ducks, meadowlarks, and the ever noisy striated caracara along the way. The Zodiac ride out to the ship turned interesting as several Peale's dolphins began bow riding the boats to have a little fun. The amazing power, speed and grace of these marine mammals inspired many to laughter and smiles.
During the afternoon, we moved the ship to a small bay on New Island where after a short walk across a narrow part of the island we were witness to many nests of the black browed albatross and rock cormorant. Some of the more adventurous among us ventured further into the tussock grass in search of the seventh penguin species of our trip, the rock hopper penguin. These pugnacious little birds are the rock stars of the southern oceans with their colorful crests and squared off heads. They can climb to great heights to make their nests and go through the molting stage. We were fortunate enough to see these charming sea birds in the low light of the afternoon. After a beautiful sunset, the ship was still for a few hours before we moved on to the next adventure.
Our second day in the Falklands would be different than our first. Spending time in the town of Stanley yesterday with the ship alongside a floating pier was a nice luxury, but today we wanted to return to adventure and did so. We visited two islands each with their own unique character. Carcass Island, located on the western side of the Falklands, is home to Rod Napier who provided a wonderful late morning tea service for those who wanted to see what settlement life is like on the islands. Some guests walked along the coast for a few miles to his home. During the walk, there were chances to see steamer ducks, meadowlarks, and the ever noisy striated caracara along the way. The Zodiac ride out to the ship turned interesting as several Peale's dolphins began bow riding the boats to have a little fun. The amazing power, speed and grace of these marine mammals inspired many to laughter and smiles.
During the afternoon, we moved the ship to a small bay on New Island where after a short walk across a narrow part of the island we were witness to many nests of the black browed albatross and rock cormorant. Some of the more adventurous among us ventured further into the tussock grass in search of the seventh penguin species of our trip, the rock hopper penguin. These pugnacious little birds are the rock stars of the southern oceans with their colorful crests and squared off heads. They can climb to great heights to make their nests and go through the molting stage. We were fortunate enough to see these charming sea birds in the low light of the afternoon. After a beautiful sunset, the ship was still for a few hours before we moved on to the next adventure.
