Flight to Carcass Island, Falklands, Wednesday 26th October

Our radio to contact our hosts, David and Susan at the main settlement didn’t work (actually it did work but the relay station had lost power). We had an early breakfast so that we were packed and the cabin tidied so that we would be ready to go.

I had to take a photo of the breakfast table with the bottle of Black Tower on the table. Its not full of Malibu or Pina colada but it is the method the farm provides milk to guests.

We left a note on the table to say that we had walked to the beach and the Rookery.The beach was windswept but there were a few birds about.

Oyster catcher.

Other birds and penguins. 

There are plenty of Magellanic Penguins about, either walking to or from the sea, standing about drying themselves or standing guard by their burrows. It is easy to tell which holes are occupied from the calling cards left around the

An unusual sight in the Falklands. Ewes usually only have one lamb whereas in UK, two is normal and three is not unusual but here the sheep are breed for their fine and strong wool, not for meat.

And just one more photo of an albatross from The Rookery

David found the note and drove to The Rookery ad took us back to the settlement.I had quick look at a few of the buildings

Inside the shearing shed the shearers were having a ‘Smoko’, Falklands Island version of a coffee break.It was a smaller operation than at Goose Greenand more cramped.

 The sheared sheep were in a pen outside looking a lot smaller than their pre sheared cousins wanting to be sheared. Also an observation that despite the numbers pf she within the building waiting to be sheared, it was remarkably quiet.

 One of the sheep dogs, it is not a Rottweiler but a much much ore friendly breed, a Hunterway.

 A pair of Upland Geese, the male is on the left.

The Falklands Island Government Air Service plane landed on the rough grass strip runway. It was an Islander capable of seating nine passengers and the pilot but it was empty until Sarah, Mallory and Leslie who we had met at  The Neck got on and Fran and I joined them, with me sitting next to the pilot in the cockpit. 

It was a bit cramped and I had to avoid touching the pedals or steering column but it was alright for the ten minute flight from Saunders Island to Carcass Island.The island was named after HMS Carcass which surveyed the island in 1766
and its accompanying vessel HMS Jason gave its name to five islands off to the northwest, namely Steeple Jason, Grand Jason, Elephant Jason, Flat Jason and South Jason. Horatio Nelson served about HMS Carcass as a midshipman early on in his career on an expedition to the arctic in 1773.

It was early afternoon. After dropping off our bags at the farmhouse, Jane, the daughter of the owner, Rob drove Fran and I out to the seal colony and we would walk back to the farm in time for the evening meal.

We had to be careful where we put our feet. We unintentionally frightened off one goose but we avoided sitting geese whenever we could.

 We passed a freshwater pond with a multitude of birds enjoying the sun on the water.

 A everywhere more goose nests

Then we found the elephant seals which was the purpose of the walk ands lions and some of the males were big.

 There was a harem of females with young pups guarded by a dominant male . Nearby would be a few other males ready to challenge or mate with a female when the dominant male was asleep or busy chasing off another challenging male. Scattered about were a number of weaned pups, often by themselves of in pairs or company.

A mother and young pup and a close up.

 A sisken

A meadowlark with its bright red chest  and I stalked it for ages but never got a face on photo of this particular one.

A brave Magellanic Penguin in the tussah grass above the shore line, despite the number of seals on the beach

A couple of elephant seals mating with his flipper curled around the much smaller female. It might look affectionate but should the female try to move before he has finished she will get a bite. Her pup was lying nearby bleating due to the lack of attention for its mother.

Remains of a whale on the shoreline

Another good reason why you should look where you put your feet...a used munition  for creating a smokescreen.

The tussah grass can grow tall and thick and it can be painful and tiring to walk through so it is often best to walk around it. It grows well here and is a useful source of winter feed for the animals. It has sharp edges and it is better not to try to test how sharp for yourself but take someone else's word for it.