Island sights in Falkland Islands
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New Island
Remote New Island is the most westerly inhabited island of the Falklands and is divided into two nature reserves. The spectacular scenery, wide variety of breeding birds, dolphin sightings offshore, penguins, sea lions and fur seals all help to make this a popular stop for cruise ships. Those intrigued by tales of shipwrecks and survival will also enjoy New Island.
The remains of two wrecks can be seen close to the settlement. The 1800 ton iron Glengowan burnt out at Stanley in 1895 on her maiden voyage. The Protector, an ex-minesweeper, lies beached at the head of the settlement harbor. New Island was also home to Charles Barnard and his companions. This hapless group of…
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Carcass Island
Despite its unappealing name, small but scenic Carcass is one of the most popular islands in the Falklands. It has always been free of rats and cats and, as a result, has lots of small birdlife including the tiny, light brown Cobb's wren. The Carcass Island settlement, surrounded by a dense stand of trees, is one of the most picturesque in the Falklands.
Aside from the wrens other birdlife includes black-throated finches, Falklands thrushes, Upland geese and Johnny rooks, which can be found around the elephant seals at Northwest Point. Magellanic and gentoo penguins also call Carcass home.
The island takes its rather macabre name from the HMS Carcass which surveyed the…
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Sea Lion Island
Tiny Sea Lion Island is less than 1.6km (1mi) across but teems with wildlife. Among the common sightings are five species of penguin, enormous cormorant colonies, giant petrels and the foolishly tame Johnny Rook. Hundreds of elephant seals crowd the sandy beaches, while sea lions pepper the narrow gravel beaches below the island's southern bluffs.
Thanks to the progressive farming techniques of past owners, the flora and fauna of the island flourished right alongside the farm's sheep and Sea Lion is now one of the only working Falkland farms with any substantial cover of native tussock grass. Sea Lion Island is one of the best places in the Falklands to see killer whales…
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Westpoint Island
Westpoint Island is only small but has the Falklands highest cliffs, and is of particular interest due to its population of black-browed albatrosses. There are over 10,000 breeding pairs in total, including a large colony on the Devil's Nose promontory in the western part of the island. This area also contains rockhopper and Magellanic penguin colonies.
The island is a very popular stop for cruise ships. It also has an airstrip, although it's not easy to visit from Stanley because the runway is very weather dependant.
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