Trip to Bleaker island on the Falkland Islands. Pictures of king cormorant colony

Bleaker Island - day 1
22/10/2006
After a flight from Punta Arenas to Mount Pleasant and one night in Stanley, the Falkland islands' capital, I take a FIGAS flight to Bleaker Island, to spend three days with penguins and other birds.

(Click on the pictures to see an enlarged version)

PICTURES
	Traveling to Puerto Natales Flight from Santiago to Punta Arenas via Puerto Montt and bus transfer from Punta Arenas to Puerto Natales. Full page (max 80 pictures per page) \| Reduced page (max 40 pictures per page)
	Torres del Paine national park and Milodon cave A full day excursion in Torres del Paine national park and Grey lake, starting and ending in Puerto Natales. Full page (max 80 pictures per page) \| Reduced page (max 40 pictures per page)
	Perito Moreno glacier With a 5 hours trip (each way) on partially paved road, it is possible to reach the Perito Moreno glacier in Argentina, with a full day trip from Puerto Natales. Full page (max 80 pictures per page) \| Reduced page (max 40 pictures per page)
	Balmaceda and Serrano glaciers A full day cruise inside the Ultima Esperanza fjord, reaching the Balmaceda and Serrano glaciers. Short hike inside the Bernardo O'Higgins national park. Full page (max 80 pictures per page) \| Reduced page (max 40 pictures per page)
	Bleaker Island - day 1 After a flight from Punta Arenas to Mount Pleasant and one night in Stanley, the Falkland islands' capital, I take a FIGAS flight to Bleaker Island, to spend three days with penguins and other birds. Full page (YOU ARE HERE) \| Reduced page (max 40 pictures per page)
	Bleaker Island - day 2 A full day to explore the island, the Gentoo penguin colony and the beautiful Sandy Bay beach, made of incredibly bright white sand, where I meet even more penguins. Full page (max 80 pictures per page) \| Reduced page (max 40 pictures per page)
	Bleaker Island - day 3 A second visit to the vast Rockhopper penguins and cormorants colony, where I spend most of the day observing these beautiful and funny birds. Full page (max 80 pictures per page) \| Reduced page (max 40 pictures per page)
	Sea Lion Island - southern elephant seals This island is particularly interesting to observe the huge southern elephant seals, but here you will find more Gentoo, Magellanic and Rockhopper penguins, as well as caracara and many other birds. Full page (max 80 pictures per page) \| Reduced page (max 40 pictures per page)
	Sea Lion Island - Rockhopper Point A place of staggering beauty, where vertical walls of rocks, falling straight into the southern ocean, are the home of Rockhopper penguins, king cormorants, rock cormorants and many other birds. Full page (max 80 pictures per page) \| Reduced page (max 40 pictures per page)
	Sea Lion Island - Gentoo penguins and other birds Sea Lion Island has also vast colonies of Gentoo and Magellanic penguins, and is not difficult to observe caracaras, southern giant petrels, skuas and other birds. Full page (max 80 pictures per page) \| Reduced page (max 40 pictures per page)
	Saunders Island - penguins and landscape I spend three nights at "The Neck", where there are colonies of Rockhopper, Gentoo, King (small) and Magellanic penguins, albatrosses, king cormorants, more birds and very beautiful scenery. Full page (max 80 pictures per page) \| Reduced page (max 40 pictures per page)
	Saunders Island - Rockhopper penguins and albatrosses Just 10 minutes walk from the cabin, there is a vast colony or Rockhopper penguins, often living together with albatrosses and cormorants. Full page (max 80 pictures per page) \| Reduced page (max 40 pictures per page)
	Volunteer Point - penguins and landscape Volunteer Point is located about two and half hours from Stanley, driving on gravel roads as well as off-road. There is wonderful landscape, many penguins and a huge colony of King penguins. Full page (max 80 pictures per page) \| Reduced page (max 40 pictures per page)
	Volunteer Point - King penguins colony I spend hours observing the beautiful King penguins, having now many juveniles. This is the most easily accessible colony of the world, as the others are all located on remote sub-antarctic islands. Full page (max 80 pictures per page) \| Reduced page (max 40 pictures per page)
	Cruise to Falkland Islands - March 2005 Returning from a cruise to Antarctica and South Georgia, I have the opportunity to visit Stanley, as well as Carcass Island and New Island. Click HERE to enter (opens in a new window)

This site is Copyright protected, please contact the author before using any picture or information.

PICTURES
	Traveling to Puerto Natales Flight from Santiago to Punta Arenas via Puerto Montt and bus transfer from Punta Arenas to Puerto Natales. Full page (max 80 pictures per page) \| Reduced page (max 40 pictures per page)
	Torres del Paine national park and Milodon cave A full day excursion in Torres del Paine national park and Grey lake, starting and ending in Puerto Natales. Full page (max 80 pictures per page) \| Reduced page (max 40 pictures per page)
	Perito Moreno glacier With a 5 hours trip (each way) on partially paved road, it is possible to reach the Perito Moreno glacier in Argentina, with a full day trip from Puerto Natales. Full page (max 80 pictures per page) \| Reduced page (max 40 pictures per page)
	Balmaceda and Serrano glaciers A full day cruise inside the Ultima Esperanza fjord, reaching the Balmaceda and Serrano glaciers. Short hike inside the Bernardo O'Higgins national park. Full page (max 80 pictures per page) \| Reduced page (max 40 pictures per page)
	Bleaker Island - day 1 After a flight from Punta Arenas to Mount Pleasant and one night in Stanley, the Falkland islands' capital, I take a FIGAS flight to Bleaker Island, to spend three days with penguins and other birds. Full page (YOU ARE HERE) \| Reduced page (max 40 pictures per page)
	Bleaker Island - day 2 A full day to explore the island, the Gentoo penguin colony and the beautiful Sandy Bay beach, made of incredibly bright white sand, where I meet even more penguins. Full page (max 80 pictures per page) \| Reduced page (max 40 pictures per page)
	Bleaker Island - day 3 A second visit to the vast Rockhopper penguins and cormorants colony, where I spend most of the day observing these beautiful and funny birds. Full page (max 80 pictures per page) \| Reduced page (max 40 pictures per page)
	Sea Lion Island - southern elephant seals This island is particularly interesting to observe the huge southern elephant seals, but here you will find more Gentoo, Magellanic and Rockhopper penguins, as well as caracara and many other birds. Full page (max 80 pictures per page) \| Reduced page (max 40 pictures per page)
	Sea Lion Island - Rockhopper Point A place of staggering beauty, where vertical walls of rocks, falling straight into the southern ocean, are the home of Rockhopper penguins, king cormorants, rock cormorants and many other birds. Full page (max 80 pictures per page) \| Reduced page (max 40 pictures per page)
	Sea Lion Island - Gentoo penguins and other birds Sea Lion Island has also vast colonies of Gentoo and Magellanic penguins, and is not difficult to observe caracaras, southern giant petrels, skuas and other birds. Full page (max 80 pictures per page) \| Reduced page (max 40 pictures per page)
	Saunders Island - penguins and landscape I spend three nights at "The Neck", where there are colonies of Rockhopper, Gentoo, King (small) and Magellanic penguins, albatrosses, king cormorants, more birds and very beautiful scenery. Full page (max 80 pictures per page) \| Reduced page (max 40 pictures per page)
	Saunders Island - Rockhopper penguins and albatrosses Just 10 minutes walk from the cabin, there is a vast colony or Rockhopper penguins, often living together with albatrosses and cormorants. Full page (max 80 pictures per page) \| Reduced page (max 40 pictures per page)
	Volunteer Point - penguins and landscape Volunteer Point is located about two and half hours from Stanley, driving on gravel roads as well as off-road. There is wonderful landscape, many penguins and a huge colony of King penguins. Full page (max 80 pictures per page) \| Reduced page (max 40 pictures per page)
	Volunteer Point - King penguins colony I spend hours observing the beautiful King penguins, having now many juveniles. This is the most easily accessible colony of the world, as the others are all located on remote sub-antarctic islands. Full page (max 80 pictures per page) \| Reduced page (max 40 pictures per page)
	Cruise to Falkland Islands - March 2005 Returning from a cruise to Antarctica and South Georgia, I have the opportunity to visit Stanley, as well as Carcass Island and New Island. Click HERE to enter (opens in a new window)




A FIGAS flight, operated with a 9 seats Islander, brings me from Stanley to Bleaker Island, where I will stay for three nights.


Bleaker Island is about 16 miles long, but never wider than 2 miles. There is a still active farm and a nice cottage (right picture) for tourists.


The cottage is very charming and has three bedrooms with two beds each, a bathroom with shower and hot water, a kitcken and a wide living room with library and TV / video recorder. The eletricity (220V) is available 24 hours on 24, so you will not have to worry about recharging the batteries. This is a very nice place to relax, after a full day outside.



	For today, I decide to visit the king cormorants and rockhopper penguins colony, which are just 20 minutes on foot from the cottage. The land where I hike is quite flat, with low shrubs and grass just everywhere.




And finally, a beautiful colony of about 700 rockhopper penguins. The rockhopper penguin is the world's third smallest penguin and the smallest penguin living in the Falklands. At the beginning of October, the males return from the ocean and start to buil a nest; several days later, also the females arrive. They are called "rockhopper" for their incredible ability to climb, jumping on their lovely pink feet, steep cliffs sometimes higher than 100 meters. Unfortunately this penguin is very vulnerable, nearly threatened, as the colonies were decimated by unknown factors during the last 20 years.


	Penguins taking care of their feathers.


	Penguins evaluating the best path to climb up.


Also the king cormorants were busy in nest building.