Falkland Islands Abound in Slumbering Seals, Penguins, Foxholes

By Michael Luongo - May 22, 2011

Gentoo penguins are part of a colony near Leopard Beach on Carcass Island, in the Falkland Islands archipelago. Photographer: Michael Luongo/Bloomberg

Lorraine McGill, co-owner of Carcass Island, in the Falkland Islands archipelago. Mrs. McGill, and her husband Rob, are the only year-round residents on the 4,680 acre island. Photographer: Michael Luongo/Bloomberg

A rainbow over the grave of Royal Air Force pilot Lieutenant Nick Taylor, who died in the 1982 Falkland Islands conflict between Argentina and Great Britain, near the settlement of Goose Green on East Falkland Island. The intermittent mix of rain and sun on the Falkland Islands means rainbows occur frequently. Photographer: Michael Luongo/Bloomberg

Rockhopper penguins gather near the monument to the HMS Sheffield on Sea Lion Island in the Falkland Islands archipelago. The HMS Sheffield was sunk during the 1982 Falkland Islands conflict between Argentina and Great Britain. Photographer: Michael Luongo/Bloomberg

Elephant seals lounge on Carcass Island, in the Falkland Islands archipelago. With only two year-round human residents, Carcass Island is home to a variety of native wildlife. Photographer: Michael Luongo/Bloomberg

A gentoo penguin colony near Leopard Beach on Carcass Island, in the Falkland Islands archipelago. Carcass Island is home to Magellanic and gentoo penguins. Photographer: Michael Luongo/Bloomberg

Crosses mark graves in the Argentine Cemetery near the Goose Green settlement on East Falkland Island, in the Falkland Islands archipelago. Around 650 Argentines died in the 1982 Falkland Islands conflict between Argentina and Great Britain. Photographer: Michael Luongo/Bloomberg

Lorraine McGill scanned the South Atlantic Ocean from her window, the morning sun shining in her brown eyes.
“Sometimes they come right up to the garden, and you find the little fellows burrowing under the plants,” she said about the playful penguins near her house in the Falkland Islands.
The view wasn’t always so tranquil. She recalled an incident three decades ago when an Argentine soldier aimed a gun at her and “gave me such a fright.”
Such contradictions aren’t unusual in the Falklands, a British territory off the east coast of Argentina.
Abounding in wildlife, this cold, remote and sparsely populated (about 2,500 residents) archipelago about the size of Connecticut was visited by Charles Darwin during his Beagle voyage. Amidst the flora and fauna, though, are decaying signs of the 1982 war between Argentina and the U.K. for control of the islands.
Lorraine and I were on Carcass Island in the archipelago’s northwest section. She and her husband, Rob McGill, both Falkland natives, are the owners and only year-round residents of the 4,680-acre island. They’ve opened their sheep farm for visitors, an indication that tourism has supplanted agriculture as their main source of income.
Rob says the gentoo penguin colony in Leopard Beach is his favorite part of the island, and I can see why.

Slumbering Seals

The area is protected by 15- to 20-foot-high dunes covered in tussac grass. It was molting season when I visited and the colony was blanketed in snowy feathers covered by a paste of penguin droppings.
Penguins belly-flopped down the dunes and I followed their paths to a sandy cliff overlooking the beach. Caracaras, with wing spans of almost three feet, screamed and hovered inches from my head. The tussac was so high that it hid a group of slumbering elephant seals. As I stood there, reluctant to disturb their dreams of yummy squid, tiny tussac birds used their elongated snouts as landing pads.
From there I head to Sea Lion Island in the southeast corner of the Falklands. It’s home to Sea Lion Lodge, often called the southernmost hotel under British domain. Beyond, there is only open ocean to Antarctica.
Near the water’s edge, I hear loud snorting coming from dozens of sea lions that blend in with the rocks they’re resting on. They are as curious about me as I am of them, tilting their heads for a better look, sniffing the air for my scent and using their flippers to scratch above their eyes.

Crosses, Candles

The mountain summit is covered with crosses, plaques, candles and offerings. The moment we reach it, the skies break into a torrent of sleet. We hide under the rocky outcroppings but my legs stick out and get soaked.
As we headed back to the capital of Stanley, Derek paused and said, “I prefer wildlife tours because I think that is what the islands should be about.”
Americans heading to the Falkland Islands can connect through Santiago, Chile, via LAN airline. But there’s only one flight per week, and it’s on Saturday. The return flight to Santiago has the same once-a-week schedule.
For ideas on where to stay and what to see, visit the Falkland Islands Tourism Board website, which also has information on government-run flights between the islands.
It can be complicated to coordinate flights, hotels sightseeing on your own. Ladatco, a tour company based in Coconut Grove, Florida, specializes in the Falklands.

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