Falklands with Wildlife Worldwide Travel - Part 3 - Sea Lion Island

 I was in the second flight again so had a little time to download images.  Sea Lion Island has the most southerly lodge in the Falklands and is a premier wildlife tourism site.  For more info: www.sealionisland.com

We arrived at the lodge and had a quick unpack before setting off to the North beach.

view from the plane

Sealion lodge

Cow bay where I had my third swim between the elephant seals and the penguins

At North beach where the gentoos crossed this stretch of water

Southern elephant seal

Penguin poo

A montage of leaping gentoos

Coming out of the water

A brief walk to South beach in the evening.

Caracaras 

Elephant seals at South beach

The next day we were back at North beach then were taken by land rover to the rock hopper and imperial cormorant site in the afternoon.

elephant seal pup

cooling off

Phil, Kevin, Angela and Linda

Black chinned siskin on red hot pokers outside the lodge

Albino Southern rock hopper penguin chick

Click for the larger image and you can see the fish going down

H. M. S.  Sheffield Memorial

Linda, Kevin and Juliette

A Northern Rockhopper penguin visitor

Note the longer feathers

Curious rockhopper penguin

We were up early again to make images at South beach.  We were lucky the orca pods with the female orca, Puma arrived.  Puma has learnt how to access the narrow channel into the pool where the elephant seal pups swim.  She is teaching her two young how to do this.  We witnessed two kills and there were at least another 2 kills where we saw the aftermath.  I have put a selection of the kills at the end of the post after the warning signs.  There are only a couple which are gory.  The others are where the orcas let the pup go to teach the young orcas how to hunt.

wildlife in the sunrise

The orcas arrive

You should be afraid

Puma to the right has just left the pool

Puma watched by a lone sealion

The fin is up in the pool.  Don't worry the sea lion is safe at least while we were watching

Night heron

mating

I had my swim after lunch then went back to North beach for a walk then joined the others back at North beach.

Kelp goose and goslings

Young King Penguin on the beach

South American snipe

Gentoo crossing.  There is a dip which can take them unawares

Cooling off

More curious Gentoo

Giant petrel taking off

Magellanic penguin and chick in burrow

Another early morning and a visit to South beach for some atmospheric images and more orca action.       

Elephant seal pup in camera movement

Magellanic oystercatcher in sunrise

Watching the parade

Caracaras tearing Kevin's camera bag

 

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The capture

Letting go

Skinned but still alive

This is the 3rd kill which we didn't see but then saw the seal being 'played with' further out.

Once the birds arrive the seal is finally dead