Stanley, capital of the Falkland Islands
Yesterday, we spent much of the day on East Falkland
Island, visiting the penguin rookeries on a beach about 30 miles outside of
Stanley and wandering the streets of this small town that is the only town in
the Islands.
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| Stanley, capital of the Falkland Islands |
To get to the rookery, we landed on
shore via the Zodiacs, then took a van towards the airport, which was built to
a high scale by the British in 1982, right after the war with Argentina over
who possessed the Falklands. Prior to
that war, the British had to use aircraft carriers if they wanted to defend the
islands. But, when they cut the carriers
from their naval fleet, Argentina thought the time to strike was right—to their
folly. The British decided to upgrade
all the infrastructure of the islands after that mini-war, so built good
asphalt and graveled roads around East Falkland Island as well as the airport
and a better port.
The rookery we visited, however, is
not on a road, but across the sheep pastures via a 4 wheel drive vehicle which
are a key part of any farmer’s life and status here. Unfortunately, there are many minefields left
from the 1982 war, now all fenced and marked, but still taking up a good deal
of grazing land. Crop farming is not an
economic activity since the islands are covered with rock falls and peat
moss. The farmers and town dwellers both
grow their own vegetables because they are so far from any source of fresh
fruits and vegetables.
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| King Penguins, East Falkland Island |
At the rookery, we saw Gentoo and
King penguins and one Gentoo penguin that was brown instead of black. The brown color results from a genetic defect
that severely limits the amount of melanin that goes to the bird’s feathers. About 1 in 20,000 Gentoo penguins has this
defect, so they’re not too common. These
birds are not ostracized in any way because of their differences from the rest
of the flock.
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| Yearling King penguin ready to molt |
We talked a lot to our drivers and
to shopkeepers about their economy and politics. Every one of them is adamant about remaining
British. There is rampant paranoia about
Argentina, particularly since the Falklands may have oil reserves offshore and
Argentina covets them. The more fearful
of those we talked to think Argentina has persuaded countries to cut off air
service, tourism, and deliveries of critical goods to the islands. That seems a little overblown, but is a key
part of the residents’ mindset. All
their trade relationships are with Chile (and the UK, of course) rather than Argentina. While there is a 46 bed hospital in Stanley and
4 doctors, anyone with a severe illness is airlifted to Santiago, Chile, rather
than to the much closer Argentina. This
is an isolated existence which the Islanders love.
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| Zodiac landing, East Falkland Island |
The Falklands are a popular
destination for cruise ships, and not just those going to Antarctica. They will have about 85 ships visiting Stanley
in 2012, with at least a few of those making several stops, primarily to see
the bird colonies. This is an important
revenue source for the Islanders. And
the Islands are a fascinating stop for tourists.
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| Silver Explorer in Stanley harbor |
We’ve been at sea all day today and
will not reach South Georgia until 36 hours from now, so lots of time to relax
and enjoy the excellent lectures from the expedition staff, who include a
geologist, historian, several biologists and naturalists, climatologist,
ornithologist, and seal specialists. All
very interesting people who have taught us a lot. We are hoping our good weather continues so
that we can land at all the places we expect to on South Georgia—including the
whaling station where Sir Ernest Shackleton stumbled in after his harrowing
journey from Elephant Island, and where he is buried.
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