Port Stanley and Volunteer Point, The Falklands, Friday, 4th November

We had breakfast at 6.30am as Fran was catching the airbridge flight to RAF Brize Norton and she was due to be picked up at 7am. We had had a lovely meal at the Waterfront Cafe and Bistro the night before, both of us by chance selecting the same dishes, seafood cocktail as a starter followed by Patagonian Toothfish.

It was a lovely meal and she deserved it as she had put up with me for two weeks. I am not a bird watcher or ornithologist by any stretch of the imagination but Fran had identified every bird that we saw. I had seen so many different types with variations on a theme it almost became a running gag...we would see a bird and I would ask 'do I have a picture of that one?' or 'is that a new bird?' which would determine whether I took a picture or not.

Any wrong identifications which I am sure my twitcher friends will notice are all entirely my fault as I was not sufficiently efficient to note down all the names at the time. Some of the birds have local names as well as internationally recognised names but I have tried to use the international names but never did get the difference in naming between shags and cormorants. Ben on Carcass Island would talk about Jackass Penguins for Gentoo's, Johnny Rook for a Caracara or Military or Scarlet Thrush for the Meadow Lark.

Fran was picked up shortly after 7am and I was picked up by Carrot shortly after 8am for a ride out to see the penguins at Volunteer Point. This is Boot Hill...more about it when I come back.

The gravel road, quite nice to drive on considering the alternative is off roading.

 Estancia farm for those that know their Falkland Island history...the place where the British troops rested after their yomp across the island to capture Stanley.

 A sheep dip...I was under strict orders to get the right picture...but I won't know whether I got it right until I get home next summer!

 Port Louis from a distance as we skirted it on my way to Volunteer Point.

 Guess what....I couldn't resist a photo of some Land Rovers.

 After this last stop on the 'road', it was cross country all the way to volunteer Point.

 The ranger's hut at Volunteer Point.

 Here was a large area of several colonies of Gentoo and King penguins and I had a field day taking photos and it is difficult to decide which ones to leave out.A ingle king penguin.

 Small groups of penguins and a colony at the bottom of the slope.

 A female and chick.

 A pair of king penguins

 An adult feeding its chick

 A loose group of chicks.

 Moulting penguins both adult and youngsters

The chicks with their extra thick coats look bigger than the adults.

 Th penguins wanted to go to sea but it was to rough for them but they tried and turned back.

 The wind had gained strength an the penguins tuned their backs to the wind. Roland and Irene were passing by as I took the photo.

the remains of an Argentinian Chinook and a Puma destroyed on the ground / shot down near the gravel track.

 Boot Hill...someone started it and others followed. A single boot says that you will return, a pair of boots is a final farewell...or so Carrot told me about the tradition.There are soldiers, tourists and contract workers who have left a momento.