Blog 352 – Penguins on Saunders Island – Blog written 12 April 2026

Penguins at The Neck, Saunders Island 2 February 2026

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The same group of penguins as in the photo immediately above, but slightly closer – 2 February 2026

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Mr Grumpy Penguin; it wanted me to just go away and leave it in peace – 2 February 2026.

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Penguins and seagulls at The Neck, Saunders Island – 2 February 2026.

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Yonder stands a bird in this great big crowd.  It too wanted me to just go away – 2 February 2026.

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Lauren walked to the edge of the sea at The Settlement on Saunders Island and she shone in the moonlight – 2 February 2026.

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Some tourist pamphlets say that there are 700 islands in the Falkland Islands.  Other pamphlets say there are 750 islands.  I know there are a lot of islands and some of them disappear beneath the water when the tide is high.  Perhaps some of these disappearing islands are numbered on in the pamphlets that claim that there are 750 islands.  Perhaps these disappearing islands are not included in the pamphlets that claim there are only 700 islands.

I know there are a lot of islands in the Falkland Islands because the FIGAS planes I have flown on getting from one island to another, flew over heaps of islands.

The Falkland Islands were liberated from their Argentine conquerors.  In this blog, I talk about my visit to the mountains south of Stanley where the most bitter battles were fought.

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7.00 am Tuesday 3 February 2026 The Settlement, Saunders Island, Falkland Islands Yesterday was magical.  Six people were taken by Figas plane (Falkland Islands Government Air Service) to Saunders Island.  We are now in plain but comfortable accommodation at The Settlement.  We have all day today here and fly to Carcass Island tomorrow for 4 nights. We were driven yesterday to a place called The Neck and had about 3 hours there among thousands of penguins.  I used up all the spare batteries in the camera.  Then we watched a sparkling, golden new Moon rise across the water.  Sam got a photo of Lauren bathed in the light of the Moon streaming across the calm sea.  She is always completely honest and she loved being among the penguins and the magical Moonlight. Today we see more penguins at The Rookery.  We get driven down there at 9.00 am. Penguins At first, they were just dots, Spread out across a huge expanse of sand. The tide was out and the beach was so very wide. Then the dots became penguins. There were King Penguins, Rock Hopper Penguins and Gentoo Penguins. I nearly forgot the name of the Magellanic Penguins. We started by admiring the Rock Hoppers. Lauren was entranced. So was I. So was Sam. I scrambled carefully up the rocks. The land above me gave a different view. The hill had been eaten away slowly by water. A cave appeared. I looked up. Hundreds of penguins ignored me. This was their place, But they would let me look. I looked, Filled with wonder. I scrambled across the mountainside, Rising higher and higher. My brain screamed “Don’t slip!” I kept scrambling The sea had multiple colours. Sam and Lauren became dots. The wind tugged fiercely at me. Joy filled me up I was in this wondrous place. It had been so hard to get here. I finally knew I was supported. After the many, many years of endless pain, I was about to come home.