Volunteer Point


Volunteer Point is a three hour or so drive from Stanley but the last hour is off-road over moorland reminiscent of Dartmoor or Exmoor.

It was a very bumpy ride as we had to steer our way through bogs which often meant taking a very winding route. When we arrived we were confronted by sheep and upland geese and three species of penguins, magellanics, kings and gentoos. As I’ve posted tonnes of magellanic photos already I won’t post any here, but suffice it to say there were lots there. The point is bordered on one side by Volunteer Beach and the other by a lagoon. The bank down to the beach was littered with magellanic penguin burrows to the extent that you had to be careful where you stepped. The gentoos and kings were found along the brow of the point and towards the lagoon, but the breeding colonies were separate and the boundaries were defined by a border of small stones to prevent people from getting too close.

When we arrived we headed straight for the kings. The chicks from last year are moulting into their adult coats and look very scruffy. Feathers covered the ground making it look as if it had snowed in places.

While the chicks were lovely and reminded me of wombles, but the adults were completely different, having a very poised and elegant bearing. While magellanics are very scared of people, the kings seemed completely indifferent to our presence. It meant that you could see very natural behaviour and get some really good (even if I do say so myself!) photos.



Although the kings were fantastic I found myself more taken by the gentoos. I think part of it is that whenever people talk about Volunteer Point they go on and on about the kings with no mention of the fact that there is a huge gentoo colony there as well, so they were an unexpected bonus. The other reason is that, in contrast to the rather indifferent kings, the gentoos were positively curious about our presence and if you sat still for more than a couple of seconds you would have one or two brave individuals who would come along to see what you were all about.

There were lots of chicks around which were very cute and fluffy, although they seemed very demanding and hungry – there was a constant stream of adults marching from the colonies to the sea and back again in search of food.




Comments

Casper said…
Penguins (Gentoo-) are cool. I have always wanted to see them in the wild.
4 January 2008 at 22:59
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