Falkland Islands - Bleaker Island

Thursday, 5 March 2020

During lunch and early afternoon the ship repositioned to Bleaker Island four hours to the west. Bleaker is known for its colonies of rockhopper penguins, Magellanic penguins, gentoo penguins, and blue-eyed cormorants. Much of a former sheep farm has now been converted into a wildlife sanctuary.

The Magellanic penguins have completed their breeding season, and the vast majority have returned to the ocean. These penguins are unique in that they live in burrows excavated in the soft soil.

Rockhopper penguins are the stars on this island. Rockhoppers live high above the sea on cliffs. It's quite a job getting up to their nesting sites. Here a blue-eyed cormorant joins the penguins.

Up close it's obvious how this cormorant got its name.

Rockhoppers.

A close look at a rockhopper's colorful head feathers.

As we got back to the Zodiacs for our return to the ship, a large group of gentoo penguins greeted us. They had just come out of the water, walked about 50 feet down the beach, and then all went back into the water.

This evening was the only time we really got a good sunset.