For visitors stuck in Stanley, whether by weather, unavailability of flights, or shortage of camp accommodations, nearby Kidney Cove is more than just a consolation prize—bird-watchers can count on seeing gentoo, Magellanic, and rockhopper penguins here. On a good day, they can also bag kings and macaronis for their life list, though there’s no guarantee given the relatively small numbers of those species here.

Murrell Farm owners Adrian and Lisa Lowe live close enough to Stanley that they can pick up passengers in town and Rover them to a large gentoo colony with the occasional king that also has plenty of Magellanics nearby.

Alternatively, they can head overland to the scenic southern shore of Berkeley Sound, where rockhoppers scale the steep headlands to an exposed site where, in the spring hatching season, skuas swoop down to steal newborn chicks. Either trip costs £35 per person, but for £60 per person the Lowes will combine the two for an excursion that can be done comfortably in about five hours. That said, they place no time limit at any site—the visitors themselves determine when to move on; for more than four people, there are discounts.

In addition, there are fishing trips on the Murrell for £75 per person, gear included, and full-day minibus tours to Goose Green, San Carlos, and back via Teal Inlet (£45 pp, with a minimum of three persons). For more information, contact Adrian or Lisa Lowe at Kidney Cove Safari Tours (Murrell Farm, tel./fax 31001, www.kidneycove.com). When cruise ships are in port, though, individual tours are on hold.