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Wildlife Walks Around Stanley Falklands Conservation welcome visitors to their offices in Stanley and are happy to help and advise visitors to the Islands on the identification of sightings, provide maps and reference material or general information on conservation matters. So please feel free to drop into their office which is situated on the first floor above the Jetty Visitors Centre (Tourist Information Centre); opening hours at 8am to 4.30pm Monday to Friday. Walk One - Visitor Centre to Museum along Ross Road, Stanley Taking this short stroll along Ross Road towards the Museum, you will not be able to help but notice the prolific bird life that greets you along the way. Before setting off take a look to the right of the public jetty and try to spot the small group of southern sea lions resting on the floating pontoons or playing in the harbour. There are also often Commerson's or Peale's dolphins following the smaller boats coming to the jetty. Start your walk at the Jetty Centre following the water front along Ross Road in a westerly direction towards the shopping area; you will no doubt notice the southern giant petrels gliding majestically along the water's edge and the dolphin and kelp gulls dropping mussel shells onto the road. A Falkland skua or turkey vulture sitting on the rooftops may also watch you. In the harbour in front of the Harbour View and the Capstan Gift Shops you can see rock cormorants perched on the wrecks of old ships. A little further down the road you will arrive at Victory Green which plays host to the upland goose, the kelp goose and the Falkland flightless steamer duck, which are known locally as "logger ducks". Carry on a little further on the foot path until you are past the Post Office and then the path once again follows the water's edge; this is a good place to watch out for oystercatchers, both magellanic and blackish, and occasionally here you can see the black crowned night heron. Along this path, which in the summer months is a stunning yellow from the gorse, you can often see the Patagonian crested duck and the Falkland thrush. The path will then take you in front of Government House and up towards the 1914 Battle of the Falklands memorial where you should peer into the harbour to see if you can spot the southern sea lions that play there. You will then pass the wreck of the Jelhum where rock cormorants normally perch. The path continues until you reach Racecourse Road and the Museum is situated 100 yards on the left hand side. Walk Two - Visitor Centre, Stanley to Gypsy Cove It is well worth taking the time
to visit Gypsy Cove, an area of outstanding beauty, flanked by a beach of
beautiful white sand and rich in wildlife.
The Stanley to Gypsy Cove walk is for those of you that have a little
more time and are feeling energetic. The
4 mile (8 mile return) walk is on easy ground and the round trip should
take about 4 hours at a gentle stroll, allowing you to take in the views
and watch the wildlife. Starting at the public jetty, you will need to turn up Philomel Hill
towards the Globe Tavern (on the corner) and then turn left onto Crozier
Place, passing the offices of the Falkland Islands Company on your right.
Keep walking along the path until you reach the harbour stretching
out to the east end of town. Keep moving east, passing the slipway on your left, and the cemetery on
your right. Watch out for the
abundance of seabirds along this path, including southern giant petrels,
dolphin gulls, brown hooded gull and South American terns.
There are also plenty of upland geese, turkey vultures, kelp geese
and steamer ducks. Continue along the coastal path, leaving the town behind until you are
alongdside the floating harbour; this was originally used by the military
during the period after the 1982 conflict and is still used today. Cross over the road and continue along the coastal path until you reach
a narrow course of water which divides Stanley Harbour from the Canache.
Walk along this until you reach Boxer Bridge, which was built by
Ghurkha Engineers. By the
bridge, in the small marina, there are the wrecks of small ships, and you
can often spot black crowned night herons sitting among them. Follow the crushed rock road to the summit of a small ridge and you will
then be able to look down at the end of the harbour and the wreck of the
Lady Elizabeth in Whale Bone Cove. The
Lady Elizabeth, a cast iron three masted barque, was made in Sunderland,
England in 1879. She made a
number of visits to the Falklands, and on one occasion brought materials
for the construction of Christ Church Cathedral.
In 1913 she hit a rock while approaching Stanley and was declared
not seaworthy. The ship
remained in Stanley, being used as a floating warehouse until 1936. Whilst in Whale Bone Cove look out for some of the Falklands smaller
birds such as the black face ground tyrant, two banded plover, rufous
chested dotterel, Falklands Pipit, long tailed meadowlark, white rump
sandpiper and the magellanic snipe who can all be seen along the water’s
edge. Once you have reached the Lady Elizabeth, take the coastal path again
and continue up on to the ridge. Once
on top of the ridge rejoin the road and walk along it until you reach the
car park for Gypsy Cove. Whilst
on the ridge keep a lookout for red backed hawks that nest in the area.
Once you arrive at the car park, you will see the signs to mark the start
of the Gypsy Cove trail. During
the summer months there are usually wardens on hand to tell you more about
the penguins and other wildlife in the area. For this walk you must be prepared for changes in weather conditions, so
make sure you carry waterproofs, a hat and some refreshments, as there are
no shops once you get underway. Don’t forget, if your time is
limited, but you would still like to visit Gypsy Cove, you can also hire a
taxi, which will get you there in about ten minutes. Walk Three - Gypsy Cove Trail Follow the gravel path that leads you around the edge of the cove to marked areas that are excellent for viewing the resident breeding population of approximately 300 pairs of Magellanic of "Jackass" penguins (as they are known locally). The Magellanic penguin is the only known burrowing penguin species and the soft peaty soil at the cove is an ideal habitat for these birds; there are many burrows amid the patches of tussac and cinnamon grass on the slopes around the beach. Magellanic penguins mate for life and use the same burrows year after year. These birds spend their summer months at Gypsy Cove to lay eggs (November) and rear their chicks. In the winter (March to October) they travel hundreds of miles north of the Islands in search of food. The area for viewing the penguins is also good for viewing other wildlife including rock cormorants, king cormorants and black-crowned night herons, and from here you may also see southern sea lions. Care should be taken around this area not to stand on the burrows, as they are extremely fragile; please stay behind the roped off areas. In the sandy bay along the water's edge look out for birds such as the magellanic and blackish oystercatchers, the Falkland flightless steamer duck along with the kelp goose and the crested duck. Also present are abundant numbers of the upland goose and the near threatened ruddy-headed or "Brent Goose". It is also possible to see turkey vultures, dolphin and kelp gulls, Falkland skua, peregrine falcons, red backed hawks and the South American tern. Moving away from the coastline the site is covered in dwarf shrub heath, dominated by diddle-dee, large areas of gorse, scurvygrass, the endemic woolly ragwort and plenty of wild flowers, including the pale maiden and the vanilla daisy. Amongst this vegetation you can sight some of the Islands smaller birds including the Falkland thrush, grass wren, blacked chinned siskin, two banded plover and the dark-faced ground-tyrant. Published in the Penguin News Visitor's Guide 2005/6 sponsored by the Falkland Islands Tourist Board |
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