Kidney Island

Kidney Island sits at the eastern end of Berkeley Sound near Stanley and is covered in tussac grass to a height of two metres or more, never having been grazed, which makes it the clearest surviving example of what the Falklands coast looked like before sheep. Sooty shearwaters nest in burrows under the tussac in enormous numbers and return at dusk. Rockhopper penguins and sea lions use the shore.

Background

The island takes its name from its shape. It has a land area of 33 hectares and lies close to Kidney Cove, with Menguera Point separating it from Port William. It is a nature reserve. Kidney Island is among just three Falklands sites where king penguins breed, the others being Volunteer Point on East Falkland and Saunders Island. Other birds of conservation note include 500 pairs of southern rockhopper penguins, 1000 pairs of white-chinned petrels and 15 breeding pairs of Falkland steamer ducks, along with Magellanic penguins, blackish cinclodes and Cobb's wrens.

Source: Wikipedia, "Kidney Island"

What you'll find

• The tussac - ungrazed native grass standing two metres and more.
• The shearwater burrows - sooty shearwaters returning at dusk in vast numbers.
• The sea lions - the animals hauling out along the shore.
• The reference condition - what the Falklands coast looked like before grazing.

When to go

November to March is the seabird breeding season. Shearwaters return at dusk through the summer. Winter access is limited and the wildlife absent.

Before you go

A permit is required from the government and must be arranged in advance. Landing depends on swell and is often not possible. Walking through two metre tussac is genuinely hard going.

Nearby

Stanley is west, and Cape Pembroke is southwest.

Key facts