[Arbu]

I spent a week in the Falkland Islands in February. The itinerary was as follows:

15 Feb Flight to Saunders Island. Camping at the Neck
16 Feb Walk west to Elephant Point, back to the Neck over Mt. Harston
17 Feb Walk along north coast of Saunders Island
18 Feb Fly back to Stanley. Walk back to Stanley via Gypsy Cove
19 Feb To Volunteer Point. Overnight there.
20 Feb Back to Stanley

Overall the bird life was amazing – huge numbers and often very approachable. I’m not sure that I saw anything out of the ordinary but here’s a list with some brief notes:

Black-necked Swan Lakes near Elephant Point
Upland Goose
Kelp Goose
Ruddy-headed Goose
Falkland Steamerduck
Flying Steamerduck A pair flew off cliffs near Elephant Point
Crested Duck
Chiloe Wigeon Lakes near Elephant Point
Speckled Teal
Silver Teal Lakes near Elephant Point
Barn Owl In conifers at Volunteer Point
White-winged Coot Lakes near Elephant Point
South American Snipe On hillsides on Saunders Island
White-rumped Sandpiper
Baird's Sandpiper Possibly among rocks at the end of the beach at Volunteer Point? Two sandpipers looking browner than most and with no streaking on the sides.
Snowy Sheathbill A flock of about 30 medium size white birds seen briefly at Elephant Point must presumably have been these.
Blackish Oystercatcher
Magellanic Oystercatcher
Two-banded Plover Elephant Point and Volunteer Point
Rufous-chested Plover
Southern Skua
Dolphin Gull
Kelp Gull
Brown-hooded Gull Volunteer Point
South American Tern Volunteer Point
Red-backed Hawk
Striated Caracara The Neck
Southern Caracara The Neck
Peregrine Falcon A pair over Stanley on 21st
Silvery Grebe Lakes near Elephant Point
Imperial Shag
Rock Shag
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Turkey Vulture
King Penguin The Neck, Volunteer Point and a lone bird near the wreck of the Lady Elizabeth, Stanley
Gentoo Penguin
Rockhopper Penguin Saunders Island
Magellanic Penguin
Antarctic Giant-Petrel
Sooty Shearwater Hundreds off Volunteer Point. Not seen elsewhere. See attached photo – if you think you can see anything else there, let me know!
Black-browed Albatross
Dark-faced Ground-Tyrant
Austral Thrush
Sedge Wren
House Sparrow
Correndera Pipit
Black-chinned Siskin
Canary-winged Finch
Long-tailed Meadowlark
49

Mammals

Southern Elephant Seal Lots at Elephant Point
South American Sea Lion One at Volunteer Point
Peale's Dolphin Seen surfing around Elephant Point
Sei Whale Lots of distant whales off Volunteer Point were Sei, I think.
Rabbit

Link to my photos

[Hanno]

Some really nice birds. A place I'd love to visit but it is just too far from Vietnam.

[Arbu]

Originally Posted by Hanno

Some really nice birds. A place I'd love to visit but it is just too far from Vietnam.

Yes, it is a long way. But one thing I would say is that visiting the Falklands doesn't have to cost anything like what tour operators charge for it. They seem to charge about £3000 ex Stanley or £5000 ex UK for two weeks birding. Well you can get flights there for about £1000 from the UK if you fly via Chile or Argentina (my return flight from Rio Gallegos was £130). While there I flew to Saunders Island (£150 rtn) where I camped, and shared a hire car to Volunteer Point (£60), and stayed in a B & B in Stanley at £20 per night. I only got through about £400 in my week there. And the birds are mostly easy to identify - you don't need a guide.

[Hanno]

It is not so much the cost, it is the distance. I am scared of flying and the Falklands are about as far as you can possibly get from Vietnam.

[Alan henry]

White Winged Coot is a good bird for the Falkland Islands, were you saw them on Saunders Island is the only brreding site.

Cheers

Alan
www.surfbirds.com/blog/falklandbirder

[Arbu]

Originally Posted by Alan henry

White Winged Coot is a good bird for the Falkland Islands, were you saw them on Saunders Island is the only brreding site.

Cheers

Alan
www.surfbirds.com/blog/falklandbirder

Yes, those lakes were quite good. Apparently there's a Rosy-billed Pochard that lives there too but I didn't see it. I suppose they are about the first lakes that any bird blown east from Patagonia will find, so they attract some quite interesting things.

I sent you an email shortly before I arrived thinking that we were going to go birding one evening near Stanley. But I didn't hear back from you. Maybe you didn't get the email. A shame because I could have used the time to go on to Carcass Island instead. Volunteer Point was a bit of a last minute thing and we had to walk all the way from Johnson's Farm to get there, which was a bit of a slog. Oh well, too late now.

[Alan henry]

Originally Posted by Arbu

Yes, those lakes were quite good. Apparently there's a Rosy-billed Pochard that lives there too but I didn't see it. I suppose they are about the first lakes that any bird blown east from Patagonia will find, so they attract some quite interesting things.

I sent you an email shortly before I arrived thinking that we were going to go birding one evening near Stanley. But I didn't hear back from you. Maybe you didn't get the email. A shame because I could have used the time to go on to Carcass Island instead. Volunteer Point was a bit of a last minute thing and we had to walk all the way from Johnson's Farm to get there, which was a bit of a slog. Oh well, too late now.

I reply to all emails from birders and do my best to take them out and see as much as I can show them, so did not receive your email. There has been no Rosy Billed Pochard on the pond at Saunders for over 3 years..

Sorry we did not get to meet.

Cheers

Alan
www.surfbirds.com/blog/falklandbirder