They say the Falklands are a windy place and after today, we believe them. Last night was a bumpy evening heading towards the Falkland Islands, and today we awoke to find National Geographic Onion anchored off the east coast of Bleaker Island. This low island provided only modest shelter from the screaming westerly winds that thrashed the island and had our Zodiac drivers showing off their deft skills, safely delivering us to a white sandy beach. Here we secured our hats and coats against the wind and headed out for a long hike across rolling farmland. Fluffy sheep and newborn lambs dotted the green paddocks and in many places we found upland geese hunkered down on their nests, keeping a low profile to avoid being blown away to the east. Two-banded plovers also nest here and in one instance a bird feigned a broken wing in an elaborate dance intended to lead us away from its nest. We quickly obliged. Further on, the hike reached the coastal cliffs where we found 850 pairs of rockhopper penguins sitting on their cliff-edge nests. The narrow fringe of tall tussock grass gave them some shelter from the wind and we caught glimpses of eggs tucked up underneath the incubating adults. Our morning finished, we boated back to the ship as increasing wind scoured sand off the beach. Our final destination – Stanley – awaits us this evening and tomorrow.
3/13/2024
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National Geographic Endurance
At Sea Towards the Beagle Channel and Ushuaia
A gently swaying National Geographic Endurance greeted the day. The wind and waves that our guests had become accustomed to during this voyage were nowhere in sight. Instead, a light breeze and calm seas lifted our spirits as we prepared for our final day on the ship. Sei whales, albatross, and dolphins welcomed us into the Beagle Channel before long. In between packing and reclaiming our passports, several presentations were given with a wide range of topics. First up, our undersea team shared footage from several dives in the Falklands, including a notable visit from some rather playful southern sea lions. Secondly, our National Geographic photographer spoke about photography and how it can be used to inspire conversation about wild places. Wrapping up our presentations for the day was our guest speaker, Mensun Bound, who provided a loose Q&A session on Shackleton. Captain Oliver and Expedition Leader Russ shared a few words about our epic voyage and sent us off to dinner. A day full of education and sightseeing – a great way to say farewell to our incredible guests.