South Georgia - Falklands Expedition Report - Part 8 - Rockhopper Penguins

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Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II camera with 40-150mm f/2.8 lens at 135mm
1/2000 sec at f/4.5, ISO 1000, handheld

The photos were taken in November 2018 on West Point Island in the Falklands, 300 miles east of the tip of South America.

Click on horizontally oriented images to see a larger version.

Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II camera with 40-150mm f/2.8 lens at 100mm
1/2000 sec at f/5.6, ISO 250, handheld

The tussac grass and rocky ledges of the “Devil’s Nose” region of West Point Island is a little over a mile away from where our zodiacs landed. Two thousand pairs of Black-browed Albatross breed and nest here, as do 400 pairs of Rockhopper penguins. Three other species of penguins (Gentoo, Magellanic, and King) can be seen in the Falklands.

Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II camera with 40-150mm f/2.8 lens at 106mm
1/2000 sec at f/5.6, ISO 640, handheld

One of the smallest species of penguins, Rockhoppers have red eyes, orange beaks, pink webbed feet, and yellow and black spiky feathers on their heads. They hop from place to place rather than waddling or sliding on their bellies like most penguins, because of the rocky environment in which they live.

Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II camera with 40-150mm f/2.8 lens at 106mm
1/2000 sec at f/5.6, ISO 640, handheld

Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II camera with 40-150mm f/2.8 lens at 150mm
1/2000 sec at f/6.3, ISO 2500, handheld

Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II camera with 40-150mm f/2.8 lens at 150mm
1/2000 sec at f/6.3, ISO 2500, handheld

Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II camera with 40-150mm f/2.8 lens at 90mm
1/2000 sec at f/5.6, ISO 640, handheld

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David Sparks

I retired in 2005 after 40 years of research and teaching at the University of Alabama in Birmingham (24 years), the University of Pennsylvania (8 years) and the Baylor College of Medicine (8 years). Photography is my retirement hobby.

Nature photography, especially bird photography, combines a number of things that I really enjoy: bird-watching, being outdoors, photography, travel, messing about with computers, and learning new skills and concepts.  I now spend much of my time engaged in these activities.

David Sibley in the preface to The Sibley Guide to Birds wrote "Birds are beautiful, in spectacular as well as subtle ways; their colors, shapes, actions, and sounds are among the most aesthetically pleasing in nature."  My goal is to acquire images that capture the beauty and uniqueness of selected species as well as images that highlight the engaging behaviors the birds exhibit.