Juvenile southern elephant seals transform from a small pup into a hefty, blubber-rich youngster in a matter of months. After weaning, juveniles spend time onshore learning the rhythms of haul-out life before venturing into the open ocean. Despite their awkward, wrinkled appearance on land, they are already exceptional divers, built for a life spent far beneath the waves. I met this one on Sea Lion Island in the Falklands. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 24mm) ISO 400, f/8 at 1/320th of a second.

Imperial cormorants form strong pair bonds, often greeting each other at the nest with gentle beak-to-beak contact. Both parents share duties—building the nest, incubating eggs, and raising chicks in tightly packed coastal colonies in the Falkland Islands and other sub-Antarctic and Antarctic locations. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 26mm) ISO 400, f/7.1 at 1/6400th of a second, Nikon SB-900 flash.

Black-browed albatrosses build pedestal-shaped nests from mud, grass, and feathers on remote cliff edges, returning to the same site year after year. Both parents share incubation duties for their single egg, taking long shifts while the other forages far out at sea. I photographed this nesting colony on Saunders Island in the Falkland Islands. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 20mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/640th of a second.

It’s come to my attention that over the past few days, this seal has apparently taken on a life of his own online, where he’s now being referred to as “The Champ.” I met The Champ back in 2014 on Carcass Island in the Falkland Islands. He was at the age when he likely just left his mother and was newly out on his own. I was on a long trail-less hike to an area I’m sure not too many people visit when I spotted him all alone behind protective dunes. I took a few wide-angle shots at ground level and then moved on to the nearby penguins. Who knew that twelve years later the story of The Champ would start to take hold on Reddit, X and TikTok with people describing him as “blob,” “sausage” and “sealshi roll.” Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 25mm) ISO 800, f/6.3 at 1/1000th of a second.

A group of penguins on land is called a waddle, no doubt inspired by their distinctive, side-to-side walking style — a shuffle both awkward and endearing. This waddle of gentoo penguins was photographed on Saunders Island in the Falkland Islands. To buy a waddle t-shirt, Onesie or coffee mug, visit specieslimited.com. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 350mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/3200th of a second.

What the Falkland thrush lacks in the way of colorful plumage, it makes up for with its spectacular song. This one was performing for the local elephant seals on Carcass Island. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 260mm) ISO 400, f/6.3 at 1/1600th of a second.

Female gentoo penguins typically lay two eggs, and both parents take turns incubating them, carefully balancing the eggs on their feet and under a warm flap of abdominal skin called a brood pouch. Shifts can last for days, with one adult guarding the nest while the other forages at sea. Once the chicks hatch, both parents continue to share duties, feeding them regurgitated food and shielding them from the cold and predators. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 19mm) ISO 800, f/8 at 1/640th of a second.

Who knows what this discussion was about between these two rockhopper penguins. I captured this one on my first day in the Falkland Islands back in 2014. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 1600, f/2.8 at 1/500th of a second.

It felt like a rockhopper-penguin-taking-a-shower kind of day today. So here are two little rockhoppers doing what they do when coming in from a day at sea. Photographed in the Falkland Islands. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 19mm) ISO 1600, f/2.8 at 1/800th of a second.

Unlike most other penguin species that live in colonies, Magellanic penguins live in burrows. In the foreground of this photo a Magellanic emerges from its burrow while in the background, king penguins go about their penguin-y business in their colony. I saw a lot of hillsides in the Falkland Islands that were the sole domain of the Magellanics, but also came across a few situations like this with the species coexisting. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 180mm) ISO 400, f/2.8 at 1/160th of a second.