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Falklands escapade 14 - 25 Feb (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Scamp123
- Start date
Scamp123
Well-known member
I’d better start by saying that this was not a birdwatching trip. The main purpose of the journey was to visit my girlfriend (Paula) who is currently stationed at the military base at Mount Pleasant Airfield (MPA). As she was still at work for the first few days I had to content myself with bimbling around the base area to see what I could find. I was not disappointed. The first bird I saw was a Turkey Vulture followed by a pair of Upland Geese. I’d already been told that these were pretty common everywhere, but I wasn’t really prepared to see such large birds roaming freely around the site.
MPA area 15-02-07
With Paula at work I set off on a walk around the accommodation block area of the camp. Again, the first birds I saw were a trio of Turkey Vultures soaring over the site. Upland Geese were also very evident. The back of the complex plays host to the golf course and there is a small gulley between. I decided to start in this area and was rewarded with a pair of Black Throated Finch and a Falkland Pipit. Long-tailed Meadowlark were very much in abundance and so too were the Falkland thrushes, but none of these birds would stay still for any period of time. Kelp Gulls also frequented the area (bins being a favourite as with all gulls) and on my return I managed to find a Dark-faced Ground-tyrant.
MPA area 15-02-07
With Paula at work I set off on a walk around the accommodation block area of the camp. Again, the first birds I saw were a trio of Turkey Vultures soaring over the site. Upland Geese were also very evident. The back of the complex plays host to the golf course and there is a small gulley between. I decided to start in this area and was rewarded with a pair of Black Throated Finch and a Falkland Pipit. Long-tailed Meadowlark were very much in abundance and so too were the Falkland thrushes, but none of these birds would stay still for any period of time. Kelp Gulls also frequented the area (bins being a favourite as with all gulls) and on my return I managed to find a Dark-faced Ground-tyrant.
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Scamp123
Well-known member
Mare Harbour/MPA area 15-02-07
For the afternoon of the 15th I was lucky enough to have an experienced birder for company. “Slasher” also works at MPA and thanks to him I was able to explore the local area a bit more thoroughly than I otherwise would have. Our first stop was the rubbish dump in the search for rare gulls. Only Kelp Gulls were seen, but they did have Turkey Vultures and Falkland Skua’s for company. After that we parked up on the jetty and did a bit of sea watching. Southern Giant Petrels, South American terns and Kelp Geese were noted in the bay area and Rock Shags have made their nests along the jetty. Along the rocky foreshore Slasher pointed out to me a Black Crowned Night Heron.
On the main camp area are 2 ponds. Champino and Sand ponds are home to wildfowl and very quickly it was pointed out to me the Chiloe Wigeon, Silver Teal, Speckled Teal and Yellow Billed Pintail. Here Slasher was invaluable in pointing out the differences between the Speckled Teal and the Pintails as the two are very similar. As an added bonus, a pair of Ruddy Headed Geese were also in the area.
For the afternoon of the 15th I was lucky enough to have an experienced birder for company. “Slasher” also works at MPA and thanks to him I was able to explore the local area a bit more thoroughly than I otherwise would have. Our first stop was the rubbish dump in the search for rare gulls. Only Kelp Gulls were seen, but they did have Turkey Vultures and Falkland Skua’s for company. After that we parked up on the jetty and did a bit of sea watching. Southern Giant Petrels, South American terns and Kelp Geese were noted in the bay area and Rock Shags have made their nests along the jetty. Along the rocky foreshore Slasher pointed out to me a Black Crowned Night Heron.
On the main camp area are 2 ponds. Champino and Sand ponds are home to wildfowl and very quickly it was pointed out to me the Chiloe Wigeon, Silver Teal, Speckled Teal and Yellow Billed Pintail. Here Slasher was invaluable in pointing out the differences between the Speckled Teal and the Pintails as the two are very similar. As an added bonus, a pair of Ruddy Headed Geese were also in the area.
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Alan henry
Well-known member
Hi Jason,
Sorry that we did not meet up, glad that you got out with Mark (Slasher)
Maybe next time
Cheers
Alan
Sorry that we did not meet up, glad that you got out with Mark (Slasher)
Maybe next time
Cheers
Alan
Scamp123
Well-known member
Alan henry said:
Hi,
With luck I'll get a 4 month stint down there!!! The wildlife is extraordinary and having Slasher as a guide at MPA was a big bonus. Without him I would definately have suffered with my identifications during the first few days. In the end I only managed one night in Stanley and the weather was pretty poor on the Tuesday.
Hopefully I'll get down that way again in the future,
Jase
Scamp123
Well-known member
dafi said:
The hercules trip was a big bonus. I'd worked with one of the crew some 12 years earlier and I jumped at the chance to go flying. It's surprising how big the islands actually are and how high the mountains are. I'd got the impression from documentaries on the war that the land was gently undulating. To see how steep the hills are around Port Stanley came as a bit of a shock. They really do dominate the area and it's no wonder the war was over quite quickly once they were taken. It's fantastic terrain as long as you dont mind no trees and the stone runs are something else.
Jase
Scamp123
Well-known member
Bertha’s Beach 18-02-07 Part 1
Bertha’s beach is about 5 miles from the base at MPA. Access to vehicles is strictly limited and you have to obtain a key to enable you to drive any vehicles down to the car park at the beach itself. The area is named after a ship which run aground here, and it’s cargo of wood can still be found in amongst the dunes. Within seconds of arriving at the car park a Tussacbird arrived at our feet, had a look around and then flew off before any of us could get a camera out. Slasher pointed out that this species is normally found on the outlying islands and it was extremely rare to find one on the mainland. Bonus!!!!
The walk along the beach was quite pleasant. Two-banded Plover, White Rumped Sandpiper and Magellanic Oystercatcher were along the shore line and Turkey Vultures, Kelp Gulls and South American Terns were frequent over the area. Southern Giant Petrels and Falkland Skua’s were to be found flying along the shore line also.
Further on down the beach we came across my first Steamer Ducks. There are 2 types in the Falklands, the Flying Steamer Duck and the Flightless Falkland Steamer Duck. Both are extremely similar, and identification can be difficult. Apparently the way to identify them easily is, if they are more than a mile inland then they are probably the Flying variety. If they take off then that’s another clue as to which species it is!!!
Further along the beach was the real target of the day – the Gentoo Penguin colony…..
Bertha’s beach is about 5 miles from the base at MPA. Access to vehicles is strictly limited and you have to obtain a key to enable you to drive any vehicles down to the car park at the beach itself. The area is named after a ship which run aground here, and it’s cargo of wood can still be found in amongst the dunes. Within seconds of arriving at the car park a Tussacbird arrived at our feet, had a look around and then flew off before any of us could get a camera out. Slasher pointed out that this species is normally found on the outlying islands and it was extremely rare to find one on the mainland. Bonus!!!!
The walk along the beach was quite pleasant. Two-banded Plover, White Rumped Sandpiper and Magellanic Oystercatcher were along the shore line and Turkey Vultures, Kelp Gulls and South American Terns were frequent over the area. Southern Giant Petrels and Falkland Skua’s were to be found flying along the shore line also.
Further on down the beach we came across my first Steamer Ducks. There are 2 types in the Falklands, the Flying Steamer Duck and the Flightless Falkland Steamer Duck. Both are extremely similar, and identification can be difficult. Apparently the way to identify them easily is, if they are more than a mile inland then they are probably the Flying variety. If they take off then that’s another clue as to which species it is!!!
Further along the beach was the real target of the day – the Gentoo Penguin colony…..
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Scamp123
Well-known member
Bertha’s Beach 18-02-07 Part 2
The Gentoo’s at Bertha’s beach must be quite used to people visiting on a regular basis. I’ve yet to meet anyone who has done a tour of duty at MPA and not gone to visit these delightful creatures at least once. There’s just something so endearing about their trusting nature. I’d been briefed that if you keep below their height and don’t make any sudden movements they will amble past you without a care in the world. And they do!!!! Amazing!!! During this visit the majority of the penguins were spread out along the beach with a separate bunch at what I’d been told was the breeding area for this year. These ones appeared to be in the later stages of moulting and some looked pretty ragged indeed. A King Penguin had been at this site for the last few days and luckily for me it was still there in the middle of the moulting Gentoo’s. It was great being able to see the contrast between the two species, the sleek lines of the King compared to the dumpy looking Gentoo’s. I could have stayed there all day just watching them come and go but eventually it started to cloud over and so we left. Slasher though took us on a slight detour. Just behind the dunes is a large pond that plays host to a variety of wildfowl. Most people who visit Bertha’s don’t seem to go there but it turned out to be well worth the time spent there. It was raining by this point but to make up for it we saw Chiloe Wigeon, Crested Duck, Silver Teal, Speckled Teal and White Tufted Grebe. I also managed to pick out Rufous Chested Dottrel in the rough ground. More spectacularly were the Black Necked Swans, 71 of them!!! A very nice way to end the day.
The Gentoo’s at Bertha’s beach must be quite used to people visiting on a regular basis. I’ve yet to meet anyone who has done a tour of duty at MPA and not gone to visit these delightful creatures at least once. There’s just something so endearing about their trusting nature. I’d been briefed that if you keep below their height and don’t make any sudden movements they will amble past you without a care in the world. And they do!!!! Amazing!!! During this visit the majority of the penguins were spread out along the beach with a separate bunch at what I’d been told was the breeding area for this year. These ones appeared to be in the later stages of moulting and some looked pretty ragged indeed. A King Penguin had been at this site for the last few days and luckily for me it was still there in the middle of the moulting Gentoo’s. It was great being able to see the contrast between the two species, the sleek lines of the King compared to the dumpy looking Gentoo’s. I could have stayed there all day just watching them come and go but eventually it started to cloud over and so we left. Slasher though took us on a slight detour. Just behind the dunes is a large pond that plays host to a variety of wildfowl. Most people who visit Bertha’s don’t seem to go there but it turned out to be well worth the time spent there. It was raining by this point but to make up for it we saw Chiloe Wigeon, Crested Duck, Silver Teal, Speckled Teal and White Tufted Grebe. I also managed to pick out Rufous Chested Dottrel in the rough ground. More spectacularly were the Black Necked Swans, 71 of them!!! A very nice way to end the day.
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BrightonBirder
Well-known member
The Falklands are great. Was at Carcass, Saunders and Bleaker Islands, Stanley and Gypsy Cove. The place is incredible with a mild climate and loads of birds, seals and dolphins. Saw Roddy's crashed plane, beautiful trees at the church (does anybody know the species), picked through shells and met Debbie Summers.
Michael
Michael
Scamp123
Well-known member
Port Stanley 19-02-07
Gypsy Cove
On a grey cloudy day myself and Paula set off for the capital of the islands. After checking into our hotel we made our way to Gypsy Cove a few miles away. These delightful beaches are situated on the same headland that contains Stanley Airport and the site itself commands an excellent view of the approaches to the anchorage. Unfortunately this very fact has made the beaches themselves out of bounds. Heavily mined during the Falklands war they are now out of bounds (like a lot of areas around Stanley) due to the risk of unexploded mines. As a result, once they have finished nesting, the Magellanic Penguins are quite away from the cordoned off area at the top of the headland so I was not able to get the same intimacy I had experienced with the Gentoo’s. Nonetheless it was gratifying to see them all on the beach and amongst the grass acting naturally and with the minimum of disturbance. Locally called the jackass they really do sound like Donkey’s braying!!!
Apparently it is always windy in the Falklands and today was no exception. The cove also has a colony of Rock Shags. Several juveniles were still on the nests and they seemed to be trying to huddle from the wind. A pair of Steamer Duck and Kelp Geese were to be found, along with the usual Falkland Thrush, Pipit, Meadow Lark and Ground Tyrants. Off the headland the usual Southern Giant Petrels and Falkland Skua’s were doing their best to foil my attempt to photograph them in flight. As usual, Upland Geese could be found at nearly every turn.
Gypsy Cove
On a grey cloudy day myself and Paula set off for the capital of the islands. After checking into our hotel we made our way to Gypsy Cove a few miles away. These delightful beaches are situated on the same headland that contains Stanley Airport and the site itself commands an excellent view of the approaches to the anchorage. Unfortunately this very fact has made the beaches themselves out of bounds. Heavily mined during the Falklands war they are now out of bounds (like a lot of areas around Stanley) due to the risk of unexploded mines. As a result, once they have finished nesting, the Magellanic Penguins are quite away from the cordoned off area at the top of the headland so I was not able to get the same intimacy I had experienced with the Gentoo’s. Nonetheless it was gratifying to see them all on the beach and amongst the grass acting naturally and with the minimum of disturbance. Locally called the jackass they really do sound like Donkey’s braying!!!
Apparently it is always windy in the Falklands and today was no exception. The cove also has a colony of Rock Shags. Several juveniles were still on the nests and they seemed to be trying to huddle from the wind. A pair of Steamer Duck and Kelp Geese were to be found, along with the usual Falkland Thrush, Pipit, Meadow Lark and Ground Tyrants. Off the headland the usual Southern Giant Petrels and Falkland Skua’s were doing their best to foil my attempt to photograph them in flight. As usual, Upland Geese could be found at nearly every turn.
