Nov. 2nd – 16th, 2024
Join renowned wildlife photographer, Donna Bourdon on this one of a kind Falkland Islands photographic experience. Donna will be taking a small group (only four) into the habitat of Penguins and sharing her photography expertise and extensive knowledge of the Falkland Islands and the species that live there.
As a group you will travel to three locations starting with Volunteer Point where you will find over a thousand breeding pairs of King Penguins, the largest colony in the Falklands. Also on the species list are hundreds of Magellanics and Gentoo. Over forty bird species have been recorded at Volunteer Point, including, Falkland Steamer Ducks, Upland and Ruddy Headed Geese, Dolphin and Kelp Gulls, Blackish Oystercatchers, South American Pipit, Long-Tailed Meadowlark, Austral Thrush, Correndera Pipit.
Marine life is also abundant and Volunteer Point is one of the few places you will see Sea Lions predate on Penguins on both land and sea. Keeping gear light is suggested in order to stay nimble enough to capture these moments. Ideal focal length is 400-500 mm.
Your accommodations at Volunteer Point will be Volunteer House, a quaint cottage with two shared bedrooms.
Next the group will move on to Bleaker Island for a few days. Penguins on Bleaker include Magellanic, Southern Rockhopper and Gentoo with occasional King and Macaroni. Forty seven species of birds have been recorded on Bleaker, including Southern and Striated Caracaras, Brown Skuas, Southern Giant Petrels, Tussac Bird, Showy Sheathbills, Falkland Steamer Ducks, Kelp Geese, Magellanic and Blackish Oystercatchers, and Two Banded Plovers. Bleaker is also home to a large Rock Shag Colony, the largest colony of breeding Imperial Cormorants, and eight hundred pairs of breeding Southern Rockhoppers.
Your accommodations at Bleaker Island will be at Cassard House, each participant will have their own room with private shower room.
Sea Lion will be the next stop for three days. Penguins you can expect to see and photograph here; Gentoos, Southern Rockhopper, and Magellanic. A large colony of Southern Elephant Seals, the largest in the Falkland Islands also lives here. October and November is pupping season, this means there will be some adorable photo opportunities! Killer Whale pods are regularly observed close to the eastern beaches with the possibility of seeing Elephant Seal pup predation. Tussac grass on Sea Lion attracts endemic tussac birds and Cobb’s Wren.
Gentoo’s egg laying season begins mid October so there is also the possibility of seeing chicks hatch!
Your accommodations at Sea Lion will be at Sea Lion Lodge, participants will share double rooms. The lodge has spectacular views of the South Atlantic and a nearby Gentoo Penguin colony.
Between destinations your group will be staying in Stanley for one or two days at time. Possible day trips while in Stanley…
Kidney Cove
- (Penguins) Kings, Southern Rockhopper, Gentoo and Magellanic
- Falkland Steamer Ducks, Crested Ducks, Upland Geese, Brown-Hooded Gulls, Blackish Oystercatchers
Gypsy Cove
- (Penguins) Magellanic and Gentoo
- Falkland Steamer Ducks, Crested Ducks, Upland Geese, Dolphin and Kelp Gulls, Blackish Oystercatchers, Rock Shags
- (Marine Mammals) Commerson’s Dolphins, Sea Lion
- Sight of interest: Naval Gun from WWII
Bertha’s Cove
- (Penguins) Gentoo
- South American Terns, Hudsonian Godwits, Sanderlings, Ruddy-Headed Geese, Silver Teal, Chiloe Wigeon, Black Necked Swans,
- (Marine Mammals) Commerson’s Dolphins, Peale’s Dolphin
About your leader….
Donna Bourdon is a former healthcare executive who left corporate life to pursue her lifelong ambition to share the beauty of wildlife through her lens.
She combines her love of travel, wildlife and photography to create an artistic expression of the simple beauty all around us.
Her approach with all projects is to capture the spirit and drama of the wild through the photographic medium, expressing not only the beauty, but also the hardships and challenges that are being faced by wildlife each day in their ever-changing world.
Donna has received critical acclaim for many of her works. She received a Highly Honored award from Nature’s Best Windland Rice International Photography in 2017 for her image of an osprey in flight. The image was taken just 30 miles from her home in Tennessee, demonstrating that dramatic images can be created right in your backyard.
In 2018 her image of a roseate spoonbill flying into the rookery and displaying the “orchestra wing position” was selected by BigPicture Natural World Photography to go on exhibit in San Francisco at the California Academy of Sciences. The exhibit then traveled to the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga, TN for a 2019 exhibition.
She received a second Highly Honored award from Nature’s Best in 2019 for an image of a silvery grebe mother feeding its chick, taken in the Falkland Islands.
Other awards include Awards of Merit from the Photographic Society of America, Kowa Photography Awards 2019, Top 40 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2019, the Photographic Society of Chattanooga and Honorable Mention 2020 from the Wildlife Federation of America, Award of merit Bird Photographer of the year 2022.
Publications include the cover of Sierra Magazine/Winter 2023. Nature’s Best Magazine 2017 and 2019, Birds and Blooms August/Sept 2020, Tennessee Wildlife Federation calendars for 2017, 2019, 2020 (cover), Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency 2018-2019 calendar, Tennessee Aquarium Riverwatch Fall 2018. Her images of an eagle in flight from Homer, Alaska and three Magellanic penguins from the Falkland Islands were included in the Wildlife Federation of America’s Christmas card collection for 2021.
In addition, Donna’s images have been featured numerous times on NatGeo Your Shot, National Geographic and BBC Photographer of the Day Instagram posts.
Nov. 2nd – 16th, 2024
Day 1 (Nov. 2nd)
Fly to Mount Pleasant. Transport to Stanley and check in to hotel (Malvina House).
Dinner in Stanley with the group.
*Please note – you will need to arrive in Santiago (SCL) no later than Nov. 1st (Donna will be arriving Oct. 31st) and meet the group at the Holiday Inn at the airport. You will spend the night at the Holiday Inn (not included) and together you will fly to Mount Pleasant via Punta Arenas (not included) on Nov 2nd. You will be advised on which flight to book with Latam Airlines.
Day 2 (Nov. 3rd)
Breakfast at hotel. Set out for a day trip, possibilities include; Kidney Cove, Gypsy Cove, Bertha’s Beach (see details page).
Lunch on your own (not included) either in Stanley or at day trip destination.
Dinner with group in Stanley
Day 3 (Nov. 4th)
Breakfast at hotel. Drive to Volunteer Point check into lodge (Volunteer House)
Bag lunch and afternoon photography session
Dinner with group at lodge.
Day 4 (Nov. 5th)
Breakfast at lodge. Head out for a day of photography.
Bag lunch in the field.
Dinner at lodge.
Day 5 (Nov. 6th)
Breakfast at lodge. Head out for a day of photography.
Bag lunch in the field.
Dinner at lodge.
Day 5 (Nov. 7th)
Breakfast at lodge. Drive back to Stanley then fly to Bleaker Island. Check into lodge (Bleaker Island).
Bag lunch. Possible afternoon photography session depending on arrival time
Dinner at lodge.
Day 6 (Nov. 8th)
Breakfast at lodge. Set out for a day of photography.
Bag lunch in the field. Dinner at lodge.
Day 7 (Nov. 9th)
Breakfast at lodge. Set out for a day of photography.
Bag lunch in the field. Dinner at lodge.
Day 8 (Nov. 10th)
Breakfast at lodge. Fly back to Stanley.
Lunch on your own in Stanley (not included).
Down time in Stanley and/or image review time with Donna depending on what the group prefers.
Dinner with group in Stanley.
Day 9 (Nov. 11th)
Breakfast at hotel. Fly to Sea Lion.
Bag lunch and afternoon photography session.
Dinner at lodge.
Day 10 (Nov. 12th)
Breakfast at lodge. Set out for a day of photography.
Bag lunch in the field
Dinner at lodge.
Day 11 (Nov. 13th)
Breakfast at lodge. Set out for a day of photography.
Bag lunch in the field
Dinner at lodge.
Day 12 (Nov. 14th)
Breakfast at lodge. Fly back to Stanley.
Down time in Stanley and/or image review with Donna depending on what the group prefers.
Lunch on your own in Stanley (not included)
Dinner with group in Stanley.
Day 13 (Nov. 15th)
Breakfast at hotel. Set out for a day trip, possibilities include; Kidney Cove, Gypsy Cove, Bertha’s Beach (see details page).
Lunch on your own (not included) either in Stanley or at day trip destination.
Last dinner with group in Stanley.
Day 14 (Nov. 16th)
Breakfast at hotel. Transfer to Mount Pleasant for flights out to Santiago.
End of tour.
- Accommodations day 1 – day 15
- All ground transportation from arrival in Mount Pleasant on day 1 – end of tour day 15
- Flights to Bleaker Island, back to Stanley and to Sea Lion, back to Stanley
- Meals except breakfast day 1 and lunch day 1, 2, 8, 12, 13
- Expert guide and photography support
- All international flights
- Accommodations in Santiago the day before the tour begins
- Round trip flights from Santiago to Mount Pleasant
- Breakfast day 1 and lunch day 1, 2, 8, 12, 13
- Gratuities for drivers
- Travel insurance
Moderate. Most locations require walking two miles or more each day.