Today we completed the last landings of our voyage. Just after an early breakfast we set foot on a dry dock near a farm at West Point Island, located on the truly wild side of the Falkland Islands. The seas were calm, the skies were blue, and the temperature allowed for light clothing. The main attraction here is a colony of black-browed albatrosses and rockhopper penguins. Some guests chose to walk a good mile across the island, whereas others preferred a ride in sturdy Land Rovers to get to the colony. The colony is surrounded by dense tussac vegetation, and we zig-zagged the last hundred meters through tall stools of tussock grass to get close enough to see the nesting birds. Our first encounter was a group of rockhoppers. Some of them kept quiet, whereas others were constantly calling and squabbling to each other. A few also demonstrated their jumping skills. A great number of individual downy albatross chicks were sitting on bowl-like nests of soil, grass, and roots. Striated caracaras were hovering over us everywhere. As we left the island through the Westpoint Pass, hundreds of terns, albatrosses, and shags were swarming in the air or in a feeding frenzy on the water.
After lunch the National Geographic Explorer headed for New Island, one of the most westerly of the outer islands in the Falklands. We were invited to see yet another colony of seabirds with much the same species as we saw during the morning. We walked a little less than a mile on a dry wagon trail to get over to the colony. The nesting area was beautifully situated, like an amphitheatre towards the open ocean and packed with albatross chicks, rockhopper penguins and a group of shags. The albatross chicks frequently flapped their wings to practice flying skills that will allow them to take off, hopefully before winter arrives. Albatrosses, shags, and caracaras hovered over our heads at all times. Far below, white foam from the crashing swell reminded us of being at the edge of the open ocean. This is where we will be on our way towards Ushuaia the coming day and night. Just before dinner, flying shags and a number of sei whale spouts were observed just as we said farewell to the outermost isle of the Falklands. We could hardly ask for a more perfect way to end our last expedition day on shore.
