 Bird Island is to the west of South Georgia Island | |
 South Georgia settlements | |
  Bird Island Location in theAtlantic Ocean | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Atlantic Ocean |
| Coordinates | 54°0′20″S38°3′0″W / 54.00556°S 38.05000°W /-54.00556; -38.05000 |
| Highest elevation | 365 m (1198 ft) |
| Highest point | Roché Peak |
| Administration | |
United Kingdom | |
| Overseas Territory | SGSSI |
| Additional information | |
| Time zone | |
Bird Island (Spanish:Isla Pájaro) is 4.8 kilometres (3 mi) long and 800 metres (875 yd) wide, separated from the western end ofSouth Georgia by Bird Sound. It is part of theBritish overseas territory ofSouth Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, also claimed by Argentina as part ofTierra del Fuego province.
It was discovered in 1775 by a British expedition underJames Cook, who so named it "on account of the vast numbers [of birds] that were upon it".
In the late 1950s, the island was the subject of a number of US-funded projects. Between 1959–62, a great number of the island'swandering albatross were ringed, which gave startling data about their range - one bird was found inAustralia.[citation needed]
The island is currently aSite of Special Scientific Interest, and so there are no landings allowed without permission.
The summit of the island,Roché Peak, is named after the EnglishmanAnthony de la Roché who discovered South Georgia in 1675.Farewell Point forms the northeast extremity of Bird Island.
The second highest peak on the island (at 290m) is named Tickell Peak, after the Englishman Lance Tickell. He assisted in some of the first science on Bird Island in 1958/59. He returned twice more before the mid 1960s working on seals and albatrosses, and was one of the first to overwinter there.
2008 marked the 50th anniversary of biological research on Bird Island. Among the notable events in that year was the return of the Grey-headed albatross which was ringed as a chick by Tickell in 1958.
Bird Island | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Coordinates:54°00′31″S38°03′06″W / 54.0085045°S 38.0517281°W /-54.0085045; -38.0517281 | |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Territory | SGSSI |
| Operator | British Antarctic Survey |
| Established | 1957 (1957) |
| Population (2018) | |
| • Summer | 10 |
| • Winter | 4 |
| UN/LOCODE | GS |
| Active times | All year-round |
| Status | Operational |
| Activities | Bird and seal research |
The island has been a station for Antarctic research since 1963 and is currently a biological research station of theBritish Antarctic Survey (BAS) atJordan Cove, with three resident biologists and one technician. The main focus of the research is the ecology and population of the island's seabirds andseals.
While the British Magistrate and other civilians and military present inGrytviken were removed from South Georgia during theArgentine occupation of South Georgia in 1982, another 15 Britons remained beyond Argentine reach. The losses suffered at Grytviken prevented Argentina from occupying the rest of the island, with Bird Island Station, and field camps atSchlieper Bay,Lyell Glacier andSt. Andrews Bay remaining under British control.
The island is home to:
This is in addition to several hundred thousand other birds, includinggentoo penguins,South Georgia pintails andSouth Georgia pipits. Of South Georgia's 31 breeding species, 27 are found here.Cetaceans such assouthern right whales can be seen on their feeding season in Subantarctic regions.[1]
The island has always been rat-free, unlike the main island of South Georgia where introduced rats were eradicated between 2010 and 2015.
| Climate data for Bird Island, South Georgia, 1961–1990 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 11.2 (52.2) | 10.7 (51.3) | 10.5 (50.9) | 10.2 (50.4) | 6.9 (44.4) | 6.0 (42.8) | 5.9 (42.6) | 4.8 (40.6) | 7.5 (45.5) | 10.4 (50.7) | 9.1 (48.4) | 9.4 (48.9) | 11.2 (52.2) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 5.5 (41.9) | 5.6 (42.1) | 4.4 (39.9) | 1.9 (35.4) | −0.5 (31.1) | −1.8 (28.8) | −2.4 (27.7) | −1.9 (28.6) | −0.2 (31.6) | 1.6 (34.9) | 3.4 (38.1) | 4.5 (40.1) | 1.7 (35.0) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 3.1 (37.6) | 3.5 (38.3) | 2.5 (36.5) | 0.4 (32.7) | −2.1 (28.2) | −3.2 (26.2) | −3.9 (25.0) | −3.3 (26.1) | −1.8 (28.8) | −0.2 (31.6) | 1.0 (33.8) | 2.0 (35.6) | −0.2 (31.7) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 0.7 (33.3) | 1.4 (34.5) | 0.6 (33.1) | −1 (30) | −3.8 (25.2) | −4.6 (23.7) | −5.4 (22.3) | −4.8 (23.4) | −3.4 (25.9) | −1.9 (28.6) | −1.5 (29.3) | −0.6 (30.9) | −2.0 (28.4) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −2 (28) | −1.7 (28.9) | −3.2 (26.2) | −4.6 (23.7) | −7.3 (18.9) | −8.5 (16.7) | −11.4 (11.5) | −10.6 (12.9) | −8.5 (16.7) | −6.6 (20.1) | −4.3 (24.3) | −2.8 (27.0) | −11.4 (11.5) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 84 (3.3) | 80 (3.1) | 95 (3.7) | 123 (4.8) | 108 (4.3) | 108 (4.3) | 120 (4.7) | 114 (4.5) | 107 (4.2) | 98 (3.9) | 88 (3.5) | 77 (3.0) | 1,204 (47.4) |
| Source 1: Climatic Research Unit, UEA[2] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: Météo Climat[3] | |||||||||||||
Capital:King Edward Point | |||||||
| General | |||||||
| Settlements / Whaling stations | |||||||
| South Georgia islands | |||||||
| South Sandwich Islands |
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| Seamounts | |||||||
| Landmarks | |||||||
