Mass Audubon North River Sanctuary
Date: Thursday February 6, 2025
Time: 7:00 PM
A Penguin Adventure – Falkland Islands with Shawn Carey
The Falkland Islands are located off the southern coast of Argentina and almost to the tip of Tierra Del Fuego. With one flight a week entering and departing the Falklands, and a total of three days travel each way you have to really want to go there. We’re delighted to be hosting Shawn Carey on Tuesday, September 17th, to take us there.
The Falklands are a very remote South Atlantic archipelago with two main islands, East and West Falkland, plus an additional 776 smaller islands, most of which are not inhabited. However, several that are host some of the islands’ amazing wildlife, including five species of penguins, which on certain islands have thousands of birds during the nesting season.
For bird watchers and wildlife photographers with an interest in the birds found here you can see 63 nesting species including 14 endemic subspecies and two endemic species, the Falkland Steamer Duck and the Cobb’s Wren. In addition to the bird life there are also both Southern Elephant Seals and Southern Sealions which can be seen in large numbers on a few islands.
For this program we will explore two locations on Saunders Islands, The Neck, which has three nesting penguin species plus nesting Black-browed Albatross. Then onto The Rookery with its impressive colony of Southern Rockhopper Penguins and a staggering number of Black-browed Albatross. After that we will explore Sealion Island and our first look at Elephant Seals, Sealions and the Killer Whales that prowl the waters looking to feast on them. Next up is Bleaker Island with its beautiful mile long beach where you can watch Gentoo and Magellanic Penguins as they ride the waves onto the sandy shores. Finally, we will end our photographic adventure at Volunteer Point which has the largest nesting King Penguin population in the Falklands.
All of this plus a look at the lodges one can stay at, the food and some of the people you will meet along the way. I will share my advice on traveling to this fantastic location plus many tips to help you plan your own Penguin adventure to the Falkland Islands.
