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Hello all, and welcome to our Falkland Islands blog. Follow our progress through the wind, snow and penguins, and find out what it is like to live down here.

Thursday 11 August 2011

Bertha's Beach on Thursday 11th August

Today, after our trip to Fox Bay being cancelled due to the Helicopters, we drove down to Bertha's Beach after lunch. On the way, we saw Black Necked swans, and, as you can imagine, they are white with a black neck and head, and usually only found on the Falklands, or South America.
We walked for about 35 minutes, crossing ponds and streams seeing some very large Mullet jumping out of the water, and watching the Upland geese and the sheep. Then, we finally we saw lots of black and white blobs. As we got closer, we saw that they were Gentoo Penguins up in the marshy moorland beyond the sand dunes. They didn't seem frightened at all, even when we were about 5 metres away!! Only after about 15 minutes of having their photos taken, did they turn around, flapping their wings, and waddle away, as you can see in the picture. 
On the way back to the beach, we saw another colony of Gentoos, more Upland Geese, and back on the beach, we saw our first ever Flightless Steamer Ducks. There were also some Two Banded Plovers, and Oyster Catchers. Then we saw some dolphins, porpoises, and seals playing in the water, and a big black bird which was either a Shearwater, baby Albatross(?) or a Petrel.
Tonight, we are having yet another dinner-party for the Governor, some Islanders, and some new people to Mount Pleasant. All the snow has gone now, and has left slush, and puddles everywhere!
By Phoebe xxx

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