The Falklands aren’t just about the penguins — there are also plenty of pinnipeds (seals and sea lions) around. Those of you who have been following my blog for a while know that I often post northern elephant seals that I photograph along the California coast. These guys are the southern cousins. They look pretty similar, but are much, much larger. This is a juvenile, and even the little guys are much bigger than the young northern elephant seals. The full ground males are downright enormous, weighing in at 8800 pounds and growing to 19 feet long.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 25mm) ISO 800, f/6.3 at 1/1600th of a second

You have to see an albatross to appreciate an albatross. In photos they kind of look like regular old sea gulls. But these guys are impressive. And big. Very big. Their wingspan can reach eight feet. Watching them fly — gliding effortlessly over the ocean — is pretty amazing. I also love their very cool looking black brows. Much more on these guys in future posts, but for now here’s a shot of two performing a synchronized mating dance.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 22mm) ISO 400, f/2.8 at 1/800th of a second

I was fortunate to have a few great sunrises (and sunsets) in my two weeks in the Falklands. This was at about 4:30 in the morning on the second to last day of the trip. The taller penguins are kings and the smaller guys are gentoos. The kings would go through a daily morning ritual of walking to the water’s edge before scurrying back onto the beach, then approaching again, only to retreat yet again. This would go on for an hour or so as they slowly worked their way down the beach before finally getting up the nerve to enter the water. They are very cautious and constantly on the lookout for sea lions patrolling the shoreline. The gentoos, on the other hand, are much more bold and would very deliberately march down to the beach, and without hesitation, enter the water.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 800, f/2.8 at 1/1000th of a second

Of the five species of penguin that I photographed in the Falklands, the ones that weren’t quite like the others were the Magellanics. They don’t live in colonies like the kings, rockhoppers and gentoos — they dig individual burrows instead and are much more solitary in nature. They are also much more skittish than the other penguins and therefore harder to photograph. I don’t think that these two had anything to do with the one in the middle that was digging the burrow, but it sure looks like they were standing guard as their neighbor did his thing.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/640th of a second

Late afternoon on three days in a row I watched as a pod of orcas patrolled the shoreline in search of a quick meal. They were after seals, sea lions and even penguins. It was pretty amazing to see the speed at which they charged at a group of gentoo penguins. Whether or not they were successful I couldn’t tell. What I could tell, however, was that there were several young orcas swimming alongside the adults. In the top photo you can see both a large and small dorsal fin. In the bottom photo, you can see three orcas, two adults and one baby. I only saw one complete breach and unfortunately my camera was not to my eye at the time.
Top photo: Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 1600, f/5.6 at 1/1250th of a second
Bottom photo: Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/1000th of a second

In addition to penguins, there were plenty of birds of the flying variety in the Falklands. The imperial cormorants, or imperial shags, were among my favorites. Cormorants can be awkward looking birds, but they often have striking facial features. You can see the blue rings around the eyes of these guys and the orange “nasal knobs.” Watching the activity of this colony was one of the highlights of the trip. It was nesting season and as one cormorant would fly out to sea to collect kelp for its nest, another cormorant would sneak in and steal the kelp that was already there. Fights were constantly breaking out between the thieves and those defending their nests. This was a rare cormorant-only colony — as these birds also nest alongside, and in amongst, the rockhopper penguins.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 400, f/10 at 1/1250th of a second, two Nikon SB-900 flash units

Of the five species of penguin that I photographed in the Falklands, perhaps my favorite were the rockhoppers. These feisty little penguins were constantly bickering amongst themselves (and occasionally the front of my fisheye lens). They seemed to pick the most inhospitable locations for their colonies, usually at the top of vertical cliff walls — which they would proceed to somehow journey down to the sea to fish, hopping from rock to rock, before returning via the same, seemingly impossible route.
Nikon D800 with Sigma 15mm fisheye lens, ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/640th of a second

Here’s one with the adult kings mixed in. Volunteer Point in the Falkland Islands is the most accessible place in the world to see these iconic penguins (not that a four flight/two day journey is especially accessible). The Falklands are at the northern edge of the king’s territory, which extends south into Antarctica. The weather in the Falklands is ever changing and you never know when the sky might open up like it did on this particular afternoon.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 160mm) ISO 400, f/8 at 1/2500th of a second

The only baby penguins that I saw were the kings (all the others start hatching in December). The kings hatch at that time too, but they take much longer to develop so I was seeing second year chicks. This is just before they begin to molt and lose all those brown furry looking feathers on their way to becoming adults. They hang out in groups known as creches while the adults are out at sea for months at a time. Much more on these guys in the coming weeks.
Nikon D810 with Sigma 15mm fisheye lens, ISO 400, f/10 at 1/640th of a second

Just back from a great trip to the Falklands and need to sleep so I’ll make this quick. I photographed five different species of penguin as well as sea lions, seals, orcas and many other birds over the past two weeks. This is the gentoo penguin. I like to think of these guys as the classic penguins. They also happen to be the most acrobatic in the water and are known for their “porpoising” and riding waves. This guy is about to catch a nice one on his way back in to shore after an afternoon of fishing.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/3200th of a second