You can hear them before you see them. And smell them.
At this time of year – the South Atlantic summer – the penguins of the Falkland Islands mob together in rookeries on these isolated beaches to raise their fluffy chicks.
And we’re surrounded by them.
The beach at Volunteer Point on the northeast tip of the Falklands is home to its largest colony of king penguins.
Up to a metre tall, they stand squabbling in a defensive huddle around their chicks.
But there are others too, burrowing magellanic penguins and red-billed, yellow-footed gentoo.
Across the 740 islands that make up the Falklands there are five different species and around a million of them in total.
To prevent disturbance, and the spread of bird flu, visitors are asked to keep six metres from the birds.
But the rule doesn’t apply in reverse.
Turn your back for a minute or two and a curious or territorial penguin will waddle right up, giving you a side-eye like a three foot yob in a colourful wetsuit.
The penguins are just some of the most visible and accessible marine life on these islands.
Magellanic penguin chick
There are sealions, fur seals, even a few of the world’s largest, the elephant seal.
Seabirds like albatross, petrels and only recently large numbers of whales are returning. They were rarely seen here since their wholesale slaughter in the 19th and 20th centuries.
An abundance of life that’s in stark contrast to the windswept peat bog and rough grassland interior of the Falklands.
And a revelation to many visitors who arrive thinking the islands are remarkable only for the remoteness and a brutal conflict more than four decades ago.
But seeing the best of the island’s wildlife isn’t easy.
To get to Volunteer Point, it is a three-hour drive from the capital Port Stanley, two hours of which is off road.
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