The Argentines laid hundreds of thousands of mines during the war, and contrary to professional military practice kept rather poor records of where they put the explosives. The Islands have what is the world's largest breeding population of Black-Browed Albatross, although some of the major colonies are remote and inaccessible. Several species of Petrel nest on offshore islands. Noting that the local penguins are fascinated by airplanes, the pilots search out a beach where the birds are gathered and fly slowly along it at the water edge. Perhaps ten thousand penguins turn their heads in unison watching the planes go by, and when the pilots turn around and fly back, the birds turn their heads in the opposite direction, like spectators at a slow-motion tennis match.
Heads go up, up, up, and ten thousand penguins fall over gently onto their backs.
Landing on gravelly beaches for excursions, we will study many species of endearing penguins and other avifauna plus a fascinating variety of mammals. Because of the extraordinary tameness of many species, we will have privileged opportunities to view them at close range. During our time at sea we will have the opportunity to observe a tremendous variety of bird life. The pelagic birding in subantarctic and Antarctic waters is some of the best in the world. South American speciality birds, while not endemic, are those that can only be found in three or less countries of South America.