P..P..P..Penguins are go!

Summer is on its way. There has been a noticeable shift for the good, in the average air temperature here. We even had one day last week, which just about reached double figures. I know this is light years away from the sultry temperatures of the Middle East, but it actually felt quite pleasant and was a nice portent of the sort of weather to come over the summer months. The wind was back the next day, as was the rain, but the driving hail and snow of that greeted us on arrival in August seems to be behind us for this year anyway.

The onset of the warmer months here brings with it the jewels in the crown of the Falklands. It's about now that we see the early appearances of the magical wildlife that draws many people to the islands. A few of my colleagues had been down to Gypsy Cove earlier in the week and the word on the playground and in the corridors was of sightings of the wet feathery kind. We actually nipped down to the beach last weekend, but being naive Falklands virgin types, got there at completely the wrong time of day. This weekend was going to be different. We decided to go down much later in the afternoon. It seems that the penguins spend much of the day out to sea fishing, coming back to the beach late afternoon, to relax for the evening in their bunker-like burrows in the sandy dunes. The penguins at Gypsy are Magellanic penguins. They are smaller and a little less imperious than their stately cousins, the King penguins, but no less lacking in character.

On approaching the beach on the path around the coast from the car park, we knew we were going to be blessed with their presence today. Before we had even a sniff of a sight of a penguin, they had already underlined why they have been given the nickname Jackass. In the distance we could hear a rather strange braying, that sounded like a cross between a donkey and howling dog. Low and behold, as we rounded the path, sitting rather proudly in the entrance of a burrow, was our first wild penguin. I have to say it was quite an exciting and special moment for us all. Experiences like this was one of the reasons why I chose to come to the Falklands and this one was not a disappointment. As we made our way down the dunes among the burrows, we soon found ourselves surrounded by numerous Magellanics, resplendent in their evening wear. They wouldn't let us get too close, especially at first, and would dive for the safety of their burrows when you did. However, if you were quiet and sat still, they soon resurfaced, with their awkward little waddles - the lure of the evening sun on their chests obviously too much to resist. Leaving Caz and the kids on the dunes among the burrows, I made it down to the beach to try and get some close-up shots of a couple paddling about. Again, they kept me at arm's distance (or should that be at flipper's distance!), and when I did manage to get close, that awkward, comical waddle transformed into a elegantly impressively glide under water, away from the shore. It was certainly a very good demonstration of the habitat they are most suited to.

On the way back to the car, even more penguins were arriving into the dunes and I even managed to get some really great close up shots of a very confident one. He seemed to even enjoy the moment, posing with the grace of a cover model in front of the lens. This had been a great end to the day and has certainly wet our appetites for more in the way of nature.