Early
in the morning on the 26th we departed for the southernmost island
of the Falklands, Sea Lion Island.
Alexandra
Mystikou and Pieter van West ready to depart with the rest of the team for Sea
Lion Island
At
the island there is only one lodge where can stay, the Sea Lion Lodge. An
island with rich biodiversity of marine mammals, birds and of course seaweeds -
which is the reason for this trip. Sea lions, sea elephants, rare birds such as
caracaras and 4 different species of penguins are among those that you do not
have to try a lot to find. Just a walk on the beach and you can everything
through all the coastline of the island. This place is a paradise for the
marine biologists!
Our
first day included a quick walk to the Gentoo penguin babies, a careful one
between the sea elephants and some sampling of algae and oomycetes. Water
samples from Liverwort (Epaticae), some “red sand” (presumably due to the
presence of a unicellular red alga), a seriously infected Durvillea (Brown algae) and an epiphyte on Durvillea.
Later
on we visited the beach with the Magellanic Penguin parents trying to catch
some squids or fish for their babies who were patently waiting in the nest.
Really shocking for someone who is not used watching wild animal behaviour in a
natural environment, is the fact that predators are always around penguin
colonies watching and planning how to catch their prey, sometimes killing it in
front you. But as a human visitor, you have to stay out and just watch without
any interfering. Because that is how nature is. Even when I looked the Skuas
and the Caracaras planning to attack the penguin babies I couldn’t do
anything...
Our
day finished with a pleasant moment with a penguin baby at the beach. Penguins
are really curious with the humans. If you are patient and give them some time
they can come very close to you...
Alexandra
is taking pictures of a Magellanic baby penguin
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