Stanley to Pebble Island, Falklands

2 - 3 March 2006

Hopping round the rocks with the rockhoppers

The weather cooperated nicely for the VFR flight to remote Pebble Island in the far north of the Falklands. Forty minutes later, we landed on the 600 m. grass runway about 200 metres from the lodge.
There are only two families living on Pebble Island, and when the children are away at school, that means just four people. Jacqui and Alan take care of the lodge and the other family takes care of the farm. All are trained as firemen and ready for action every time a FIGAS plane lands or departs from the airstrip. They are also instructed on how to measure and report wind direction and speed.
Pebble Island was one of the main battlegrounds during the Falklands war and there are a number of wrecked aircraft still lying around as a reminder. Although Alan was born in the Falklands, he was at school in the UK during the war, but nevertheless he is very knowledgeable about what went on. He thinks ours is the only foreign aircraft that has landed on Pebble Island since the 1982 conflict.
Jacqui picked us up from the airstrip and drove us to the lodge. We were keen to do some walking so she told us of an interesting circular walk nearby and gave us a picnic lunch. Our walk took us first to a large pond or small lake where we saw some black-necked swans. Later, a striated caracara (or Johnny Rook) watched us eat our picnic in the sand dunes near the beach. These buzzard-like birds are the Falklands equivalent of monkeys. They are very curious and not in the least shy. Alan warned us to be vigilant about our belongings as they are quite capable of snatching cameras and flying away with them. And, although they seem to be rather common in the Falklands, they are in fact extremely rare.