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Carcass Island
Rob McGill has owned and lived on Carcass Island, running his
farm for 30 years. He shares the island with his 650 sheep, 100 cows,
and a vegetable garden; during the winter, he lives on the island by
himself. For the rest of the year from October through March, he caters
to distant visitors seeking a unique wildlife experience.
I woke up to donkeys braying at dawn, or so I thought. Stepping
out of the sunroom, I instead found Magellanic penguins – otherwise
known as jackass penguins – sounding off and burrowing along the
perimeter of the farmhouse.
McGill joined me down at the beach after milking his cows. “I enjoy
visitors coming to my island,” he said. “But once the season is over I
need that break during the winter.”
So six months out of the year, McGill gets supplies he needs
from Stanley delivered by boat or small plane. The only company for
the lifelong Falklander is the wildlife that’s literally right outside his
kitchen door.
Saunders Island
A ten-minute flight southwest of Carcass, Saunders Island quite
possibly offers the best wildlife experience throughout the archipelago.
I’m dropped off for three nights at a remote porta-cabin by the owner of