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April 2003, Mike Lane phoned, there is one space left for the trip to the FALKLANDS, if you wish to come make your decision quickly.  In hindsight, thank goodness I said yes for what turned out to be my best wildlife photographic trip to date and the most expensive.  Many thanks to Charlie Brown for providing essential help and advice to Mike who organised the trip on our behalf via Stanley Services Limited.  We left Brize Norton at 2300hrs on Thursday 2nd December for a gruelling 16 hour flight, which excluded a 2 hour break on the Ascension Islands.  Through Dickie's connections we were upgraded to business class and given VIP treatment which did add a little comfort and allowed us to stretch-out during the flight.  My main fear seemed to have been realised on arrival when we were greeted by mist, cloud and horizontal rain, someone's comment about Scottish weather came back to haunt me.  I had not come all this way and spent all that money for poor weather.  By the evening, it was at least dry, and we were photographing in Stanley Harbour.  Later that night I erased all the images, the grey light was horrendous.  That evening we stretched Mike's budget and humour by eating at the Malvina House Hotel.

Port Stanley, aerial view looking west.

The next morning dawned bright and sunny, and although the weather forecast threatened rain by afternoon, it remained dry and mainly  sunny for the rest of the trip.  Our first visit was to Volunteer Point and after a slow and uncomfortable land-rover drive lasting 2.5 hours we got our first real taste of the wildlife and photography of the Falkland Islands.  What amazed me was that you were allowed to wander freely (there is a limit of course, where the penguins are nesting) amongst all the wildlife in what appeared to me to be a unique and very sensitive location.  In most areas of the world, I am sure you would be only allowed to view this spectacle from a distance.  I was also surprised how tolerant the wildlife was of humans considering the horrendous acts of the first explorers to reach these islands. In fact, if you sit quietly, the penguins and some of the birds will  literally come up and explore you.  As a result, many of the images were taken using wide angle or short focal length lenses.  The most useful lenses for such a trip are zooms, typically 70-200mm or 100-400mm with, at times, the use of teleconverters.  A wide angle lens is also a must, the choice being determined by the magnification factor of your digital sensor.  I also found my  500mm lens useful at times for smaller birds  and also on the beaches when the penguins were more wary about entering or leaving the sea.  Fill-in flash with a fresnel lens is also to be recommended.  Do not leave your equipment unattended on a fully extended tripod as they form attractive perches for the Caracaras or are easily blown over in the strong winds.  I left Volunteer Point with several flashcards full of my first King, Magellanic and Gentoo Penguin images, together with various images of waders, ducks and geese.  It is a shame that there is not some basic accommodation here to allow an overnight stay so photographers can make the best use of early and late lighting.

Accommodation at Sea Lion Island and Air-strip

Our next stop was Sea Lion Island for four nights, a remote island off the south coast of the Falklands.  A 45 minute internal flight from Port Stanley takes you to this absolute gem which, to me,  must be one of the best places in the world to photograph wildlife.  In addition, the quality of the accommodation and food was superb.  With the sun rising at 0500hrs, four photographic sessions were possible per day. In the eastern most part of the island, a 30 minute walk, were colonies of Dolphin Gulls, Terns, Elephant Seals and Giant Petrels. A gradual walk back from this point gave endless opportunities to photograph Gentoo/Megallanic Penguins, Skuas, Waders, Geese, Ducks, Gulls and a variety of small birds.  The 'moorland' to the west of the accommodation proved superb for various waders including Snipe and nesting Dotterel and Banded Plovers.  I wish I had spent more time at Tussock Pond photographing the penguins, ducks and geese, but here I concentrated on the beautiful Silvery Grebe in a sheltered bay in lovely evening light.  To cap all this, just a mile or so further west are marvellous colonies of King Cormorants and Rockhopper Penguins.

The Neck, on Saunders Island was our next destination for four nights where we stayed in a basic but comfortable portakabin.  Most parties stay at the main settlement on Saunders Island, a 60 minute land-rover drive away, but the choice to stay at this portakabin amongst all the wildlife was the right one.  However, there was no supply of electricity here, so it was essential to take plenty of charged batteries and CF cards to last the duration. It was such a privilege to wake in the morning and be able to walk freely amongst the colonies of Gentoo, King and Magellanic Penguins.  On the cliffs, a short distance away was  a colony of Black-browed Albatrosses. Close to the Albatrosses were large colonies of Rockhopper Penguins and King Cormorants.  Great potential exists for flight photography and whilst the slower moving albatrosses were relatively easy subjects doubt existed over whether even the latest AF could follow-focus fast moving cormorants, geese and ducks.   Good weather, I was to learn, is generally the rule rather than the exception and a good supply of sun tan lotion is essential to avoid severe sun burn.  Sometimes the mornings were chilly and gloves and a warm hat were very much appreciated.  

Accommodation at the Neck, Saunders Island

Settlement on Carcass Island

Our trip concluded with a brief internal flight to Carcass Island where we stayed for three nights in the excellent accommodation offered by Rob McGill.  The foreshore in front of the settlement offered excellent photography for Striated Caracara, Turkey Vultures, Geese, Ducks and a variety of smaller birds.  However, for me,  the best location was the foreshore and ponds close to the air-strip, particularly early in the morning or late in the evening when the lighting was superb.  In conclusion, the Falklands offers some of the best wildlife photography in the world, and whilst my website concentrates on birds, the potential on these islands for photographing wildflowers, lichens and mosses is also excellent.  If you are lucky enough to have the opportunity to visit these unique islands then do - I would like to return one day, so see you then.  PS Mike Lane does snore!!!  Please visit my Falklands gallery GALLERY.