Volunteer Point

09th February 2010

The highlight of our trip to the Falklands was the night we stayed in the Wardens house at Volunteer Point (Map of Falklands), where a large colony of some 800 breeding pairs of King Penguins live all year round.  It was a two and a half hour drive over rough terrain from Stanley.  Colonies of Gentoo and Magellan Penguins also live side by side with the grazing sheep.

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Derrick and Trudy are doing an amazing job as Wardens and welcomed us into their home as family.  Once the day tourists left, the Penguins were ours.  They were not shy and if we stood still, they would come right up close for a better look.  We saw penguins on eggs, small babies still being watched over by parents, fluffy fat brown chicks in creches and moulting juveniles, even mating penguins.

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We have adopted a King Penguin and called him Eduardo. (Adopt a Penguin)

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Eduardo - our adopted King Penguin

Eduardo - our adopted King Penguin

King protecting chick

King protecting chick

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Chicks - brown balls of fluff

Chicks - brown balls of fluff

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Fat juvenile King

Fat juvenile King

Moulting Kings

Moulting Kings

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Gentoos going fishing

Gentoos going fishing

Gentoo in the surf

Gentoo in the surf

Gentoo coming out of the surf

Gentoo coming out of the surf

Magallans at dawn

Magallans at dawn

The Wardens Hut at Volunteer Point

The Wardens Hut at Volunteer Point


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