|
Falklands Conservation |
From Falklands Conservation Newsletter 46, Stanley
June 2000
Gentoo Penguins: Winter Project Gets Underway
Gentoo penguins, unlike other Falkland penguins, remain at their colonies
around the Islands all year round. A new project has been launched this austral winter to:
The Project will be carried out over 7 months from May to November at Kidney Cove, to the south of
volunteer Point on East Falkland. Diet samples will be collected once a month and foraging behaviour
monitored by up to 4 tracking devices.
Mass Whale Stranding
189 whales were stranded on Elephant Beach, East Falkland in early April. The Long-finned Pilot Whales (Globicephala melas) were all dead when found by landowners Philip and Sheena Miller from Cape Dolphin. The Fisheries Department examined the whales and identified 41 males and 74 females ranging in size from 1.70m to 5.70m. 74 animals could not be sexed as the sand was already beginning to cover them up. Several of the smallest whales were without teeth indicating that they were still suckling.
The Long-finned pilot whale inhabits cold temperate and subpolar waters.
Usually associated with the Falkland, Humboldt and Benguela currents, they prefer deep waters but make
inshore (summer) to offshore (winter) migrations. They are found in pods (groups) ranging in size
from a few individuals to hundreds.
The whales at Elephant Beach were in various stages of decomposition high up on the shore line near to the dunes, and were not as smelly as predicted! The whales lay along a large stretch of the beach with two areas containing more than half of the whales counted; a few individuals were found scattered between and away from the main stranding sites. Dominican gulls, Skuas and Turkey vultures were feeding off the carcasses aiding their decay.
In the Falklands the most commonly recorded stranded species is the Long-finned Pilot Whales. It is thought that the social grouping between these animals is very strong and often if one individual is unwell or confused and becomes stranded, the others will not leave it, so follow it to its fate on the beach.
Recent Bird Records
Cattle Egrets are a common enough sighting in early autumn, but it was noticeable this year that reports were of much larger groups - circa 50 were spotted in the Stanley Butchery area in mid March and over 200 at Port Edgar later that month.
Rarer sightings have included a White-winged Coot, resident on Bleaker Islands over Christmas and throughout January. Mid-April brought a possible sighting of a Chingolo or Rufous-collard Sparrow on Weddell Island.
FC to Produce Tourist Site Guide
Funding has been allocated by the Falklands Government to research, design and produce a Falkland sites guide aimed at advocating environmentally sensitive tourism. The areas to be included are those visited by cruise ships. Last season 72 cruise ship visits were made to the Islands bringing a total of 37,051 visitors.
The Guide will contain maps, photographs, key information (covering geology, wildlife, climate, and history) on specific areas and a code of conduct.
The enthusiasm demonstrated by many people already contributing to the Guide reflects the commitment towards understanding, protecting and sharing the Falkland islands with others. It is planned to have the Guide available from September 2001.
|
Patron: HRH The Duke of York CVO ADC Member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature | BirdLife International Representative |