‘Just Back’ from 31-Day South American Cruise on the Oosterdam.

[GeorgeCharlie]

Conveniently located where you come ashore, is the Visitor Centre. 

 

 

 

 

The visitor centre is run by volunteers with the Falkland Islands Tourist Board and they where very busy in trying to help people locate various tour operators.

 

Falkland Islands has a very limited number of tour operators, so even when a modest sized ship (1,800 pass.) such as ours comes to visit, there is not likely much of a chance arranging for a tour once you get there. When two, or more, ships are going to be in port, you best try arranging for a popular tour at least six months in advance.

 

Heard of people going ashore and expecting to arrange for a taxi ride out to Volunteer Point, as it's something they have always been able to do when they were in Caribbean, or Mediterranean ports.

 

We also noticed a couple of other souvenir stores located along Ross Road.

 

There is also a fairly large supermarket (The West Store) about a block from the Visitor Centre on Ross Road.

 

There is only one bank, the Standard Chartered Bank (SCB) located on Ross Road. It opens weekdays 9am - 3pm. They can change money and issue cash advances against Visa and Mastercard credit and debit cards. Charges apply and photographic identification is usually required. 

 

Local currency has the same value as UK sterling and both circulate freely in the Islands. US dollars are widely accepted and euros can be used in some places. The use of credit and debit cards is increasing, with the majority of shops and restaurants now accepting these. However, it’s a good idea to check your method of payment in advance and it is highly recommended to carry cash for use outside of Stanley. There is a cash machine (ATM) at Stanley Services fuel station on Bypass Road.

 

 

 

 

[GeorgeCharlie]

Noticed a double-decker bus parked on a nearby pier, but was not able to find out if it was being used for tours. 

 

[Sea42]

On 3/1/2023 at 12:09 PM, GeorgeCharlie said:

 

We were very fortunate in being able to book Falkland Helicopter Services for a tour of the Islands, as it greatly enhanced our experience in seeing (and learning) about penguins and the Islands as a whole.

 

Bill & Tom beside the Robertson R44 helicopter.

For reference in size, both Tom & Bill are well over 6 feet tall.

 

The helicopter tour meant, rather than taking over two hours by 4x4 vehicle to get to Volunteer Point, by helicopter it would only take about 20 minutes.

 

In addition, with our tour scheduled to leave at 10:30am, we didn’t need to be in any big rush trying to catch a tender. 

 

Plus, you get a different view of the landscape from above.

 

Thanks so much for sharing this. We were to visit here and had the helicopter booked but unfortunately we weren't able to go. It's still on the list though!

Edited March 4, 2023 by Sea42

[GeorgeCharlie]

Some of the sights we saw.

Christ Church Cathedral

 

The most southerly Anglican cathedral in the world, the iconic Christ Church Cathedral was consecrated in 1892 by the first Bishop of the Falkland Islands, Waite Hockin Stirling.

 

This historic building features a cathedral tower with a ring of five bells, 19th and 20th-century stained glass windows and a two manual pipe organ built in Ireland.  In addition, there are also locally-stitched needlepoint hassocks with scenes relating to the church and life on the Islands along with a collection of historic memorabilia.
 

The Whalebone Arch.

 

Adjacent to the cathedral is the Whalebone Arch, constructed in 1933 from the jawbones of two blue whales to commemorate the centenary of continuous British administration in the Falklands.

 

A fairly long fence had a nice display of information boards covering some of the local history and facts.

 

 

I found their poster on penguins rather interesting as it shows what the inside of a penguins mouth looks like.

 

Penguins eat their fish whole and don't waste any time chewing their food like humans do. Instead of teeth, penguins have papillae (rear-facing spines or fleshy ridges) inside of their mouths that are specialized to allow them to swallow live fish whole.

 

The local police station.

 

Along with it's lonely looking police vehicle.

 

The Falkland Islands are a very safe place to visit. Threats to personal safety and thefts of any items are extremely rare, particularly for visitors to the Islands. Walking around the streets of Stanley at any time of day or night is safe for everyone in our community. Crime rates are exceptionally low. Pick-pocketing is unheard of.

 

Saint Mary's Church.

 

It is the only pro-cathedral and parish of the Apostolic Prefecture of the Falkland Islands, an isolated territorial jurisdiction of the Catholic Church directly dependent on the Holy See.

 

It is the only Catholic church in the islands. It is made of wood and was consecrated in 1899. On the West wall it has oil murals, illustrated by British/Argentine artist James Peck, born in the islands.

[GeorgeCharlie]

1 hour ago, Sea42 said:

Thanks so much for sharing this. We were to visit here and had the helicopter booked but unfortunately we weren't able to go. It's still on the list though!

If you do manage to take the helicopter tour, I'm sure you will come back with many lifetime memories of the Falkland Islands - I know we sure did.😎

[GeorgeCharlie]

We then headed back to the pickup point for our helicopter tour.

 

We were picked up by Jane (Tom's wife) for the short drive to the airport.

 

Although Tom and his brother Bill would be our pilots for the tour, Jane is actually the Chief Pilot for their company - a position she is well qualified for - as she has been flying helicopters since 1998. To date Jane has in excess of 8500 hours total flight time with the majority being as a Captain flying the Sikorsky S61 helicopter here in the Falkland Islands.

[GeorgeCharlie]

The two most common tours they offer are the Volunteer Point and Rockhopper tours. When we originally booked, it was a combination of these two tours, where we were to stop to see the Rockhoppers on the way back from Volunteer point.

 

Unfortunately, a serious Avian Influenza outbreak was affecting some seabird colonies in the northern hemisphere with devasting consequences. This meant we could not go directly from one colony of birds to another, as we would have to return to the airport to get our footwear treated first.

 

The advantage for us, was that we got to see more of the countryside.😎

[GeorgeCharlie]

The wreck of Lady Elizabeth - a Historical landmark.

 

 

In her final voyage, she was bound for Mozambique (from Vancouver) but due to severe weather near Cape Horn, she was heavily damaged. Four crew members were lost overboard, along with the ship's two boats and part of her deck cargo. She also sustained damage to the deck fittings, wheel, moorings, and other parts of the ship.

 

Lady Elizabeth altered course for Stanley, Falkland Islands. 15 miles (24 km) north of Port Stanley, she struck Uraine Rock just off Volunteer Point and suffered a 6-foot (1.8 m) break in the hull and keel along with a 1-foot (30 cm) hole. The ship began to sink but was able to get to Port Stanley for repairs. After she was examined, Lady Elizabeth was condemned (declared unseaworthy) because of the damage.

 

She was and remained stationed in Stanley harbour until 17 February 1936 when her mooring lines broke during a storm, and she drifted to where she now lies in Whalebone Cove in Stanley Harbour.

[GeorgeCharlie]

Stanley from the air.

(Falkland Helicopter Services photo)

 

Some other pictures of the countryside.

 

 

 

 

One of the rain showers passing through.

 

[GeorgeCharlie]

The white areas in this picture is not snow.

 

It is actually what is called a stone run, or stone river; which is a rock landform resulting from the erosion of particular rock varieties caused by freezing-thawing cycles in periglacial conditions during the last Ice Age. 

 

These rock features appear in abundance in two areas of the world, Falkland Islands and Vitosha Mountain (Bulgaria).

[GeorgeCharlie]

It's difficult to see in this picture, but down there are a number of crisscrossing tracks made by the 4x4 vehicles on their way to/from Volunteer Point.

[GeorgeCharlie]

 

First rough cut of helicopter flight from Stanley to Volunteer Point.

 

 

When you are riding in the helicopter you are wearing headphones like the pilots are, which cuts out the noise of the helicopter and allows you to communicate with each other.

[GeorgeCharlie]

We landed on a small rise a short distance from the penguin colonies.

 

Volunteer Point is about 25km (15 miles) as the crow flies, north of Stanley and received its name in 1815, when the sealing ship Volunteer left a boat's crew there to collect seal skins while it went in search of opportunities elsewhere.

 

Volunteer Point is notable for having about 2000 pairs of king penguins breed here, at the most northerly part of their range. King penguins were once nearly extinct in the Falklands, and Volunteer Point contains most of the Falkland population.

 

 

There is also a colony of about 3600 pairs Gentoo penguins.

 

 

Along with a colony of about 2500 pairs of Magellanic penguins.

 

 

 

[GeorgeCharlie]

Missed including the picture of the helicopter sitting on the top of the rise.

 

You will also note the sheep grazing amongst the penguins, as Volunteer Point is part of a working sheep farm. Almost all of the land in the Falklands is privately owned and the owners charge the tour companies an access fees.  

[GeorgeCharlie]

This is a picture of the penguin nesting areas at Volunteer Point.

 

You may have to enlarge the picture to see it better, but the area outlined on the left side of the picture is the King penguin nests and the outlined area on the right side is the Gentoo penguin nests. The vehicle parking area is on the centre right of the picture.

[GeorgeCharlie]

Jane, Tom, and Bill are all Falkland Islanders, and whether we were driving, flying, or walking with them, they gave us a running commentary on Falkland’s history and wildlife.

This was especially noticeable while visiting Volunteer Point, where Tom and Bill, besides giving us general information on the wildlife, also pointed out various things people may walk by without noticing them.

 

Things such as…

…. the red splotches on the ground, which are regurgitated krill with small stones in it. 
The adults need to swallow small stones to assist in digestion, but the stones are dangerous for the chicks, so they have to get rid of the stones before feeding the chicks.

 

….. the many burrows scattered around the area and people walking past them not realizing they are Magellanic penguins’ nests, with adults tending their young. 

If you look closely at the center burrow, you will notice some of the white on the bird.

 

…. the skeleton showing how long penguin legs are. Most people think penguins have very short legs, as they normally walk around in a squatting posture. But they actually have fairly long legs, which they use while swimming.

 

…. don’t have a picture of it, but Tom pointed out an adult Magallanic sitting on it’s nest which contained an obviously dead chick, along with a second chick that was near death. What has happened is that the other adult did not return (likely killed) from foraging for food to feed the chicks, so they will end up starving to death.

[Sea42]

31 minutes ago, GeorgeCharlie said:

Jane, Tom, and Bill are all Falkland Islanders, and whether we were driving, flying, or walking with them, they gave us a running commentary on Falkland’s history and wildlife.

This was especially noticeable while visiting Volunteer Point, where Tom and Bill, besides giving us general information on the wildlife, also pointed out various things people may walk by without noticing them.

 

Things such as…

…. the red splotches on the ground, which are regurgitated krill with small stones in it. 
The adults need to swallow small stones to assist in digestion, but the stones are dangerous for the chicks, so they have to get rid of the stones before feeding the chicks.

 

….. the many burrows scattered around the area and people walking past them not realizing they are Magellanic penguins’ nests, with adults tending their young. 

If you look closely at the center burrow, you will notice some of the white on the bird.

 

…. the skeleton showing how long penguin legs are. Most people think penguins have very short legs, as they normally walk around in a squatting posture. But they actually have fairly long legs, which they use while swimming.

 

…. don’t have a picture of it, but Tom pointed out an adult Magallanic sitting on it’s nest which contained an obviously dead chick, along with a second chick that was near death. What has happened is that the other adult did not return (likely killed) from foraging for food to feed the chicks, so they will end up starving to death.

Great information, thank you!

[GeorgeCharlie]

At Volunteer Point, the nesting areas for King and Gentoo penguins have been either roped off, or ringed with white stones. You are not to enter these areas, because if you cause the birds to move off their nests, they will abandon the eggs/chicks.

The rocks are set well back from the King nests.

 

They are a little closer at the Gentoo nests.

 

The birds you see, and meet, outside those areas are normally birds which have not mated yet.

 

There’s lots of them wandering around, so people have no difficulty getting their picture taken with a penguin in it.

 

[GeorgeCharlie]

It is said that most of the pictures of penguins you see were probably photographed in the Falkland Islands - especially in the case of King Penguins.

King penguins no longer breed in Patagonia, or indeed any other part of South America, and the Volunteer Point colony is the only one which can be visited somewhat easily. 

 

Human impact is currently very low, despite King penguins being a great tourist attraction in the Falklands. They are very tolerant of human presence and are not alarmed by the presence of tourists, provided that they remain on the outskirts of the colony.

 

The King penguin is the world's second-largest penguin (after the Emperor penguin), with a typical weight of 14kg (31 lbs), and an average length of 90cm (3 ft).

 

King penguins have distinctive orange patches on either side of the head, which extend down and meet beneath the chin, where they become yellow and fade into the silvery white breast plumage.

The mandibular plates on either side of the bill are also orange in color. The female is slightly smaller than the male but has similar plumage.

 

King penguins make no nest, and instead lay a single egg, which they hold on their feet for the entire incubation period of about 55 days. Hatching may take up to 2–3 days to complete.

 

This adaption allows breeding in much colder terrain than would be the case for species that lay their eggs on the ground and negates the need for nesting material. The eggs are brooded by both parents in turn, with shift changes of 6-18 days; the non-brooding parent goes to sea on extended foraging trips.

 

Sitting on their egg/chick.

 

The newly hatched chicks are also held on the parents' feet for the first 30-40 days, by which time they have developed their mesophile plumage, and are able to regulate their own body heat.

 

 

Because of their large size, king penguin chicks take 14–16 months before they are ready to go to sea. This is markedly different from smaller penguins, who rear their chicks through a single summer when food is plentiful. King penguins time their mating so the chicks will develop over the harshest season for fishing. In this way, by the time the young penguins are finally mature enough to leave their parents, it is summer when food is plentiful and conditions are more favorable for the young to survive alone at sea.

 

 King chicks are very curious and will wander far when exploring their surroundings. The chicks form a group, called a crèche and are watched over by only a few adult birds; most parents leave their chick in these crèches to forage for themselves and their chick. Other species of penguins also practice this method of communal care for offspring.

[GeorgeCharlie]

The gentoo penguin is easily recognized by the wide, white stripe extending like a bonnet across the top of its head and its bright orange-red bill. It has pale whitish-pink, webbed feet and a fairly long tail – the most prominent tail of all penguin species.

 

 

A short video showing the Gentoo distinguishing features, along with its call.

 

 

 

Each of the three species of penguins at Volunteer Point have their own method of nesting and raising of their chicks. The Gentoo favor flat ice-free areas of grass or rock adjacent to sandy beaches. They construct new nests made of stones, grasses, and debris each year, and often nest between tufts of grass.

 

 

 

Two eggs are laid within three days of one another. The parents share incubation, changing duty daily. The eggs hatch after 34 to 36 days. The chicks remain in the nests for around 30 days before joining other chicks in the colony and forming crèches. The chicks molt into subadult plumage and go out to sea at around 80 to 100 days.

[HALcruiser2001]

Holy smokes.  So cool.

 

None of us readers need to go now.

[HALcruiser2001]

Not sure what is up, but I cannot edit my post.

 

You are very brave to get on that Heli.

[GeorgeCharlie]

Yes, I readily understand some people are apprehensive about flying in small aircraft, but we found riding in the helicopter to be lots of fun, much like going out for a ride in a sports car, or speed boat. We have previously taken helicopter tours, plus both of us are trained pilots of light fixed wing aircraft.

[GeorgeCharlie]

The third type of penguin nesting at Volunteer Point is the Magellanic and as you will notice, all three have different methods for their nests.

 

The Magellanic penguin was named after Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan, who spotted the birds in 1520, and are mainly found around the Falkland Islands and South America, but they are extremely numerous within these regions. 

 

They say the Falklands has a population well in excess of 100,000 breeding pairs. Well, we got kind of shortchanged - as we only managed to see a few scattered amongst the sandy banks

 

They are medium-sized penguins, which grow to be 61–76 cm (24–30 in) tall and weigh between 2.7 and 6.5 kg (6.0 and 14.3 lb). The head and upper parts are black apart from two broad white stripes beneath the throat; one running up behind the cheeks and above the eye to join the pinkish gape, the second running adjacent to the white underparts with which they merge above the legs. Females are slightly smaller than males but have similar plumage.

 

Like other species of penguins, the Magellanic penguin has very rigid wings used to swim under water.

 

Nests are built under bushes or in burrows. Two eggs are laid. Incubation lasts 39–42 days, a task which the parents share in 10- to 15-day shifts. The chicks are cared for by both parents for 29 days and are fed every two to three days. Normally, both are raised through adulthood, though occasionally only one chick is raised.

 

 

 

Magellanic penguins’ mate with the same partner year after year. The male reclaims his burrow from the previous year and waits to reconnect with his female partner. The females are able to recognize their mates through their call alone.

 

They are often referred to locally as jack@ss penguins because of their mournful braying call, a typical sound of the Falkland summer which continues through much of the night.

 

Magellanic penguins are popular for tourism, but they are the most nervous of penguins. Visitors that approach breeding sites which do not normally have many visitors, will send the penguins scurrying into their burrows for safety. Magellanic penguins do readily adapt to regular visitation however and become much less nervous with time.

 

There were several close to where the Helicopter landed. They didn’t seem to be concerned, and just carried with whatever they were doing.
 

Such as this one, which passed by while we were getting out of the Helicopter.

 

 

 

[Sea42]

40 minutes ago, GeorgeCharlie said:

The third type of penguin nesting at Volunteer Point is the Magellanic and as you will notice, all three have different methods for their nests.

 

The Magellanic penguin was named after Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan, who spotted the birds in 1520, and are mainly found around the Falkland Islands and South America, but they are extremely numerous within these regions. 

 

They say the Falklands has a population well in excess of 100,000 breeding pairs. Well, we got kind of shortchanged - as we only managed to see a few scattered amongst the sandy banks

 

They are medium-sized penguins, which grow to be 61–76 cm (24–30 in) tall and weigh between 2.7 and 6.5 kg (6.0 and 14.3 lb). The head and upper parts are black apart from two broad white stripes beneath the throat; one running up behind the cheeks and above the eye to join the pinkish gape, the second running adjacent to the white underparts with which they merge above the legs. Females are slightly smaller than males but have similar plumage.

 

Like other species of penguins, the Magellanic penguin has very rigid wings used to swim under water.

 

Nests are built under bushes or in burrows. Two eggs are laid. Incubation lasts 39–42 days, a task which the parents share in 10- to 15-day shifts. The chicks are cared for by both parents for 29 days and are fed every two to three days. Normally, both are raised through adulthood, though occasionally only one chick is raised.

 

 

 

Magellanic penguins’ mate with the same partner year after year. The male reclaims his burrow from the previous year and waits to reconnect with his female partner. The females are able to recognize their mates through their call alone.

 

They are often referred to locally as jack@ss penguins because of their mournful braying call, a typical sound of the Falkland summer which continues through much of the night.

 

Magellanic penguins are popular for tourism, but they are the most nervous of penguins. Visitors that approach breeding sites which do not normally have many visitors, will send the penguins scurrying into their burrows for safety. Magellanic penguins do readily adapt to regular visitation however and become much less nervous with time.

 

There were several close to where the Helicopter landed. They didn’t seem to be concerned, and just carried with whatever they were doing.
 

Such as this one, which passed by while we were getting out of the Helicopter.

 

 

 

Looks like he's off on some very important penguin business!