Salvador Waters

Well, I'm back from Salvador Waters in the North East corner of the Falkland Islands. The trip was all in aid of visiting the little islands to look for Cobb's Wren and also Rats, and to record any other birds and plants found too. It was a brilliant trip and we found lots of interesting wildlife, but unfortunately lots of rats too. In the end only one island was rat free, and it was incredible. The Tussacbirds and Cobb's Wrens were spectacular and in abundance where on the rat infested islands there were none at all.

Salvador Waters with passing snow showers and a Southern Giant Petrel

Last monday we set off to Salvador settlement, and made ourselves at home in the comfortable accomodation. There was a peat stove/boiler in the kitchen and comfortable bedrooms and a living room too. Electricity came on in the evenings around 6pm, and went off at 11:30pm, no TV, no phone, no internet :-) Wandering around the settlement we came across a boat shed, in which there was a Barn Swallow nest! Apparently it was built a a few years ago by two adult Swallows, maybe it was practice? Certainly surprising though!

Landing with the RIB

On the Tuesday the weather forecast was excellent so we headed out at 6am and surveyed Big Shag, Little Shag, Centre, Rat, Rabbit and Ear Islands. Big Shag held my first encounter of a Sea Lion, it's quite unnerving to walk casually around a tussac to be confronted with a belching beast who then flee towards the sea, and that better not be through you as they will flatten you and have a bite if needs be! I was pretty quick to move away I can tell you!

The last Island we visited Ear Island, and it was certainly the best too, having no rats. As we were approaching in the RIB Tuccacbirds came out to see what we were up to and then went back to foraging on the shore, there were also Dark-faced Ground-tyrants, a petrel burrow, Grass Wrens and Cobb's Wren adults and juveniles too, which was the main target of the expedition. We got back at about 6pm and were worn out!

Southern Sea Lions

Cobb's Wren

Rat droppings and burrow

There was lots to investigate on the islands over the next few days, but all the others had rats, so birds were limited to larger species, and also interestingly Grass Wrens. We managed to find several endemic plant species including Smooth Ragwort, Wooly Ragwort, Vanilla Daisy, Coastal Nassaurvia.

Endemic Falkland Smooth Ragwort

Tussacbird

On a few days the ride in the RIB was shall we say bouncy, but it wasn't too bad and it was good fun getting to drive it around. The cabin was handy for keeping the driver dry, but without windscreen wipers was a bit tricky to see through in the spray!

Falkland Skua

One interesting bird to see was the Falkland Skua. Having worked on Hermaness with all the Great Skuas (bonxies) it was interesting to see how little difference there is between them. This one looked rather less flecked than a bonxie, but they are so variable this is hardly a good feature to compare.

Grass Wren singing from a Tussac

Vanilla Daisy (endemic)

After finishing surveying the islands we took a trip out to Ronda Pond where there were about 19 Silvery Grebes, Chiloe Wigeon, Flying Steamer Duck, Yellow-billed Pintail, Speckled Teal and Magellanic Snipe, and the beach beyond where there were hundreds of White-rumped Sandpipers feeding and 3 Peale's Dolphins just off-shore.

Birds on the trip:

Gentoo Penguin

Magellanic Penguin

Southern Giant Petrel

Imperial Shag

Rock Shag

Falkland Skua

Kelp Gull

Brown-hooded Gull

Dolphin Gull

South American Tern

Silvery Grebe

Black-crowned Night Heron

Feral Domestic Goose

Kelp Goose

Upland Goose

Ruddy-headed Goose

Chiloe Wigeon

Falkland Steamer Duck

Flying Steamer Duck

Crested Duck

Yellow-billed Pintail

Speckled Teal

Pale-faced Sheathbill

Magellanic Oystercatcher

Blackish Oystercatcher

Rufous-chested Dotterel

Two-banded Plover

White-rumped Sandpiper

Magellanic Snipe

Turkey Vulture

Variable Hawk

Southern Caracara

Falkland Thrush

Long-tailed Meadowlark

Dark-faced Ground-tyrant

Tussacbird

Falkland Grass Wren

Cobb's Wren

House Sparrow

Falkland Pipit

Black-chinned Siskin

Black-throated (Canary-winged) Finch

Other stuff

Peale's Dolphin

Southern Sea Lion

Brown Hare

Falkland Smooth Ragwort

Falkland Wooly Ragwort

Vanilla Daisy

Coastal Nassaurvia

Pale Maidens

Balsam bog

Volunteer Point

What a day! Out the window was horizontal snow. It was a reasonable start, out at 9:30, meeting up to head over to Volunteer point. The first section is road, well, gravel track, for about an hour and a half, and then another hour and a half off roading. In total we had a Toyota Hilux, Defender LWB, Defender SWB, Toyota Surf, and a little white suzuki. The sign saying wide tyres only was a good guide of the conditions! It was rough and bouncy, but we were led in convoy by the warden and we all got through fine.

As soon as we arrived there were King Penguins to be seen wandering about. The wind was blasting sand everywhere, and it was making it a struggle to even walk, but we were there and determined to enjoy ourselves.

King Penguin in driving sand

Two banded Plover

Heading to sea

I decided to follow this group of 4 Kings as they headed off to the sea, they got into the water eventually, but then started to have a good look and high tailed it back up the beach as fast as their little legs would carry them! And the culprit....

Kings making a sharp exit!

A Southern Sea Lion

The reason the Kings exited! They saw it before I did. There was a Leopard Seal here yesterday too, so it wasn't surprising that they were being wary!

Adult King Penguins

 

King Penguin chicks huddling together to avoid the gale

Feeding a chick

Well, I guess you can see that it is a pretty amazing place.

The drive back was interesting, making our own way as a convoy, the lead landrover got stuck a couple of times, but was pulled out easily. In the Toyota surf we bounced and bumped a bit but got through OK, the little suzuki zipped over all the obstacles and was almost airborne at times!

King Penguin

Did I mention King Penguin

Gentoo Penguin

Brown Hooded Gull

Chiloe Widgeon

Ruddy Headed Goose

Blackish Oystercatcher

White rumped Sandpiper

Magellanic Oystercatcher

Southern Caracara

Gypsy Cove

Walked all the way to Gypsy Cove this afternoon, it's a long way by foot, but it was a pleasant walk. The wind picked up and there were wintery showers on the way back which wasn't so pleasant! Saw Magellanic Penguins, there were not many of them, but it is so cool watching them whizzing around under the water and then popping out onto the beach. One peered out of it's burrow at us too.

Falkland Steamer Duck

Magellanic Penguins

Been to a Halloween party this evening (It's now about 1am), dressed up as a Vampire and had good fun.

Off to Volunteer Point tomorrow, can't wait!

Magellanic Penguin

Black-throated (Canary-winged) Finch

Falkland Thrush

Rufous-chested Dotterel

Magellanic Oystercatcher

Speckled Teal

Kelp Goose

Penguin washing and Camp driving

Had a good morning, went and gave a Rockhopper and two Gentoo Penguins a bath and their breakfast!!

Went camp driving today, no pink dice though! Was great fun, I managed to avoid getting stuck and consequently did a bit of pulling people out of boggy holes! It was down on/near Wireless ridge I think, good view of Stanley from that direction, and it was all good fun. It's great actually using a 4x4 for what it was designed rather than picking up kids from school in chelsea!!

Stanley

Went for a walk along the front this afternoon, saw some new birds.

 Government House

Steamer Ducks

Military Meadow Lark

Southern Giant Petrel

Two-banded Plover

Dolphin Gull
Crested Duck

Falkland Arrival

Well, here I am sat in the living room, looking out at the jetty and the bay, the stones opposite have protector and endurance out of the left window, dumbarton castle is obscured by the curtain..... the odd cloud about, and pretty still too, actually, it's very still here, the sun is nearly setting so it is still good and light!

Despite various horror stories the flight down was great, we had a boing 767-300, and after take off we could move around, so I had 2 seats to myself in a window, the food was also fine and plenty of it.

Ascension was warm and breezy, the cage is a fenced enclosure with picnic benches and a part under cover and an indoors bit and cafe too, oh and a shop for buying booze £7 for a bottle of rum, here it's £17!

Rock Shag

Kelp Gull

South American Tern

Black crowned night heron

Kelp Goose

Upland Goose

Speckled Teal

House Sparrow