New Island is a national park owned by two families. We walked up to the cliffs to see hundred of breeding birds. Black browed Albatross, Rockhopper penguins and Blue-eyes shags, many of them sitting on eggs. Wathing the birds behavious was facinating. It was also nice to get off the ship and have a walk and some fresh air.
Back to the ship for lunch whilst we travelled 3 hours south to West point. Here we had a long hike to see more nesting birds. I was amazed how unphased they were by us, we had to be at least 5 meters away but there was 94 of us in red jackets. I got a gret photo of an Albatross turning her egg. I was concentrating so much on the egg that most of the shots are without a head!
On the way back the Napiers, who own the land, layed on a massive afternoon tea. China cups, English tea and coffee and walnut cake, plus much much more.
On the way back to the ship there were some commerson dolphins in the harbour, playing around in the bow of the zodiacs.
Back on board and we are heading for Stanley. The weather has been forecast as galeforce storms straight on the nose so it could be a rough night.
After the briefing we watched the Blue Planet, it made me feel very excited about the days ahead, Very soon we will be seeing this for ourselves..
Megan, the ships biologist, tangled up in the giant sea kelp
The island, the small white building is a school, there are only two children on the role call.
A ship wreck in the bay of New Island. The weather can get really bad here. There were a few yachts moored in the harbour with a line on both sides attaching them to the mainland.
Here is the cliff face where it all happens. You have the clumbsy Albatross crash landing on the penguins, who are not afraid to show their annoyance.
This area at New Island is unique. There are many birds that share this breeding site, which is uncommon in most other areas. Here you have a Blue eye-shags and a Rockhopper penguins finghting of nest making material
Rockhopper penguin
A little over exposed but i like it. The wing span on these magnificent birds can be up to 10ft
Blackbrowed Albatross, these bird pair up for life but enjoy renewing their vows annually with a few dance moves and a lots of noise. If a breeding pair fail to have a chick then they will leave to find another partner.
The Albatross travels great distances to find food. They feed and forage for up to 300 miles. Once the babies are ready to leave the nest they head towards South Africa for a few years, to feed, and will return by about 5 years to breed.
Caracaras, known locally as Johnny Rooks
Your carriage awaits
Pulling up on the Zodiac
Sara at West Point, Falklands.
A turkey Vulture
Kelp Geese, pair up for life. The female is dark for camouflage and the male is white to attract the females.
I love this picture. I always thought the beak was just the beak but look at the bird on the left. The beak goes right back past the eye. These birds have massive mouths for swallowing squid and decent sized fish.
A glimpse of this Black browed albatross´egg.
This young landy had three eggs to sit on. She was struggling to keep them all tucked in, it was never going to happen. The skuas will move in soon.
Rockhopper penguin, up close and personal.
New friendships forming. Jules, Chris, Celia and Sara about to go for afternoon tea.
Affternoon tea at the Napiers´ They started making tea for the visiting ships years ago and it became a tradition. Again, things that i haven´t had for a long time so i made the most of it.
On the way back to the boat there was a pod of Commerson dolpins playing with the Zodiacs
Anchors up up and away, Next stop StanelyMV POLAR STAR SHIPS LOG
Thursday 6th November - New Island and West Point Island, West Falklands
Time: 12:00
Latitude: 51° 44.0' S
Longitude: 61°16.8' W
Wind: Force 3 North East
Sea Conditions: Smooth (wave height 0.10 – 0.50m)
Pressure: 1010 mb
Temperature: 10ºC
The Polar Star anchored in Ship Harbour, New Island at 01:00 this morning which gave us all a welcome break from the roll of the ship that had been with us since leaving the Beagle Channel.We woke refreshed and bright sunshine gave beautiful early morning views of New Island, the most remote of all the Falkland Islands. They were so named after Viscount Falkland of the Admiralty by the first man to land on the islands, John Strong; Captain of the 38-gun privateer Welfare. Historically a refuge and winter home for North American whaling ships, the island is now managed as an important nature reserve by Falklands Conservation. Composed largely of 600 million year old quartz sandstone, New Island has an interesting geological cross-section. Due totilting of the strata over time, the eastern shores can be seen as sandy bays and natural harbours whereas the island rises dramatically to towering cliffs at the western extent.
After breakfast Ian ordered five Zodiac boats to be lowered onto the calm water and a scout boatwas sent to prepare the landing. When all was ready we took our first trip down the gangway and into the rubber boats that would be our water taxis for the duration of the expedition. The Zodiac ride took us into a cove where the former mines weeper Protector lay; a remnant of difficult times,and finally dropped us at a small jetty. Kelp geese were feeding along the shore, the white males contrasting strongly with the darker females and some of us were lucky enough to see the wild rabbits that inhabit this area. At the head of the beach was a small museum room whose most macabre exhibit was a large iron pot, recovered from the penguin colony, which was likely used to render down the birds for oil.This ‘industry’ was soon howled out of existence by the general public, for its cruelty. A short hike led by John Sparks took us to a recess in the cliff on the opposite coast which is exploited by colonies of intermingled seabirds. Black-browed albatrosses, rockhopper penguins and blue-eyed shags all share the steep cliffs. Our presence seemed not to affect the birds at all; there are no natural land predators since the Falkland Island fox was exterminated in the nineteenth century so they need not fear attack. The weather was so beautiful and the colonies so fascinating that calls for the last Zodiac were met with disappointment from many. We walked back across the island and made our way back to the shipfor a spot of well earned lunch. While we ate the ship’s anchor was hauled and we began to motoraway from the bay.
Three hours later the Captain informed Ian that we had reached our next destination, West Point Island, in the North West corner of the Falklands group and soon Zodiacs were back in the water. A short ride brought us into a sheltered bay with a small jetty. The owners of the islands and our hosts for the afternoon, Roddy and Lily Napier, once farmed sheep on the hills here but now are involved in offering visitors a unique Falklands experience. A long hike, or a lift in a vintage Land Rover, took us across the top of the island where we saw upland geese closely watching over their light grey chicks, all less than 2 weeks of age. The track took us to the Devil’s Nose, a narrow headland of limestone which is home to another bird colony, predominately black-browed albatrosses and rockhopper penguins. From the shelter of the tussac grass, we were able to observe the birds at close quarters without stressing them. The two are very tolerant of each other, except when a crash-landing albatross falls into a rockhopper’s nest-space; they are certainly not afraid to stand up and defend it.
On our return from the colony, there was a beautiful cup of English tea with home baked cakes waiting for us at the Napiers’ bungalow; snug in the shelter of the leaning cypresses (Cupressusmacrocarpus), introduced trees which survive in conditions so tough that there are no native tree species. Several striated caracaras (known locally as Johnny Rooks) hopped around us as we neared the house, waiting for the chance to take off with a glove or hat from an unsuspecting passer by. After we had had our fill, we thanked our hosts and hopped back into Zodiacs bound forthe ship. The trip back was extraordinary as we were treated to a small group of Commerson’s dolphins riding in our wake and surfing alongside the boats. The Zodiac drivers spent a little time driving around the bay to give an opportunity to see these graceful creatures in the water. These particular dolphins are well known for their interaction with boats, and their constant seeking outof our Zodiacs proved that they were enjoying playing with us.
During recap and briefing, which had been moved to after diner thanks to our late return to the ship, Chris showed us some videos that he had taken during our dolphin encounter and gave some additional information on them. John Sparks gave a short talk about the albatrosses that we had been privileged to see throughout the day, complimented by his own fantastic photos. The session was brought to a close by John Harrison and his history of the SS Great Britain, the Falkland’s most famous wreck. When built, it was the largest and most innovative ship in the world. After along career it acted as a store for the Falkland Island Company before being towed back to the dock where it was built in Bristol in 1970.
After a long day many of us returned to our cabins for an early night, others chose to end the evening by watching the BBC Blue Planet film ‘The Seasonal Seas’ which focuses on the diversity of life found in the rich cold waters of the world. Those who did pop their head round the door of the Polar Bar would have found it empty from 22:00 onwards, a sure sign of a tiring day.
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