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The Falkland Islands - A Natural Choice The Environment There are miles and miles of empty spaces within the Falkland Islands, so you will never feel crowded. This is a land without trees, where the wind roams freely across the land and where shafts of light spread from the heavens in golden rays as if highlighting special features amidst the environment. Any shrubs you find are nestled in sheltered nooks as if resting from the prevailing wind. The Falkland Islands' archipelago consists of the two main islands, East and West Falkland, with some 700 islands around their shores making this a traveller's paradise. Wildlife The Falkland Islands are an emblem for nature, a destination that offers sanctuary from the uncertainty of the changing world, to wildlife that defies logic and circumnavigates the globe or swims across seven oceans to reach this paradise of nature. To them, this is home and where they can be perfectly natural. Often, as you walk the beautiful white sand beaches, meander through tussock grass or sit atop a jagged cliff top, wildlife will take the time to come and look at you with familiar curiosity. You become friends for a while with some of the world's rare and most precious wildlife, within a whisper's breath of almost touching, yet restrained enough to admire without pomp or ceremony. This is one of the world's most prestigious wildlife destinations. Here wildlife comes close to you, stops and takes a glance, before waddling past in total disregard to your presence. There is something special about that feeling. A one-to-one engagement with wildlife and it is something we are not prepared for. There is a kind of therapy in just sitting silently and letting the pace of the moment be your guiding light as you sit mesmerised by what you see before you. The Falklands are famed for our five species of penguins, but there is so much more to encounter here. From a cliff top or a sandy beach, you can watch whales and dolphins close to the shore, riding the surf, breaching the water, and phosphorescent rainbows sparkling in the sun from the broken waves. Along the coastline in secluded bays, grey and golden bodies of elephant seals bask in the warm sun. Females lie within touching distance of each other, their eyes closed and a soft smile across their faces, almost seeming to be dreaming of pleasant days. Amongst the sleeping females, the Alpha Bull keeps a watchful eye on all around him, occasionally snarling, yawning, to keep all would-be suitors from his harem. Flicking sand across his giant body like a baker throwing flour on a table, he basks. Close to the surf, young bulls jostle and play-fight in preparation for their day and their moment. These daily rituals are one of nature's spectacles on Falkland Islands beaches throughout the summer season and are sights surely not to be missed or experienced. Southern Sealions occupy other bays and coastline; their giant necks and fur making them just as intimidating, while the females with young lie in close proximity. This visitor to the Falkland Islands coastline adds to the variety of wildlife to be seen, which make the Falkland Islands one of the most amazing places to view wildlife in the world. Here in the Falkland Islands we let nature do the talking, the presence of the wildlife communicates our attitude and the quality of our environment. The companionship of the magnificent wildlife brightens our world and enriches our daily lives and we know that what you see and experience here in the Falkland Islands will live with you forever. Birdlife To many, the Falkland Islands are the Penguin Islands and the ultimate place to get a fine view of these splendid creatures with their comical waddling, their naughty expressions, their agility in the ocean or their endearing clumsiness on land. Penguins in the Falkland Islands have the ability to make the landscape come alive through their presence. The king, gentoo, rockhopper, magellanic and macaroni penguins all seem capable of adding a sense of atmosphere to the location as well as colour. To meet them is to experience sheer bliss and to share a moment with them in close proximity is like a gathering of old friends. With so many vantage points across the Falkland Islands to view penguins, it is any wonder that so many people want to come here and see them. But the Falkland Islands' bird life is not just about penguins. There are the spectacular black-browed albatross - with 80% of the world's population returning here year after year. These majestic birds sit on the cliff's edge in pot-shaped nests and can be seen preening or simply sleeping with their bill tucked into their feathers. Sitting close to them is like being in a regal palace. They are the majesties and we are the subjects. All around the Falkland Islands there are a multitude of birds: the striated caracara, southern giant petrel, red-backed buzzard, turkey vulture, rock cormorant, king cormorant, black-crowned night heron, patagonian crested duck, silvery grebe and the flightless steamer duck to name but a few, while the common upland goose and ruddy-headed goose are present throughout the Falkland Islands. With so many varieties and types of birds here, the choice is endless and with the scenery to match, we know that we can truthfully claim to be one of the bird paradises in the world that truly lets you get close to nature as nature allows. What could be more natural? Published in the Penguin News Visitor's Guide 2004/5 sponsored by the Falkland Islands Tourist Board |
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