Carcass Island

Carcass Island has never had rats or cats, which means the small native land birds that have vanished from most of the Falklands still live there in numbers: Cobb's wren, tussacbird, grass wren and the black-throated finch come right up to people around the settlement. Magellanic and gentoo penguins breed on the beaches. The settlement garden is one of the few substantial stands of trees in the islands.

History

The island takes its grim name from HMS Carcass, which surveyed it in 1766; its companion ship HMS Jason gave its name to the nearby Jason Islands, and its captain, John MacBride, to MacBride Head. Carcass has been a sheep farm for over a century, its small settlement on Port Patterson known for its gardens, and its boathouse, shed and store are listed heritage buildings (Wikipedia, Carcass Island).

The landscape

• The small land birds - Cobb's wren and tussacbird, gone from most other islands.
• The predator-free status - an island rats and cats never reached.
• The penguin beaches - magellanic and gentoo colonies along the shore.
• The settlement garden - a rare stand of trees in a treeless archipelago.

When to go

October to March is the season for breeding birds. Winter is bleak with little wildlife and few flights. Wind blows hard in every month.

Good to know

Accommodation is limited to the settlement and books up well ahead. FIGAS flights are weather-dependent and change at short notice. There is no shop or facility of any kind beyond the house.

Nearby

West Point is south, and Saunders is east.

Key facts