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Site description (2006 baseline):
Site location and context
Bleaker Island and its outlying islands, off the southeastern
coast of East Falkland, are low lying and rarely
exceed 15 m except at Semaphore Hill north-east of the
settlement. Coasts vary from low cliffs with sloping
bedrock beaches to wide sandy bays and sheltered coves.
Inland, Bleaker Island is mostly open heathland, with
several ponds, some of which provide good habitats for
waterfowl. There are extensive coastal beds of giant kelp.
Ghost Island lies only 300 m from Bleaker Island, across a
channel thick with kelp and it is not known if rats are
present. It is likely that this island, with two-thirds of its
area covered with tall Tussac, has not been grazed.
Sandy Bay Island has not been stocked but the rodent
status is unclear. The island lies 1 mile (1.5 km) off the
Bleaker coast and is relatively high, at nearly 20 m in the
centre, with a good coverage of Tussac grass. The greater
distance from Bleaker Island makes infestation by rats
across the channel unlikely, though possible.
Halt Island lies at the mouth of Bleaker Island harbour,
only 1.3 miles (2 km) from the settlement, making this an
obvious choice for stocking and grazing in the past. Again,
the rodent status is not known. Few details exist for the
smaller Tussac-covered First, Second and Third Islands in the
settlement bay, except that First Island is linked to Bleaker and
it is possible to cross on foot at low tides. In November 2003
the resident manager reported that all three islands had rats.
During a four-day surveying visit by a British Schools
Exploring Society (BSES) party in November 2003, 46 possible
breeding species were recorded, of which 37 were either
confirmed or probably breeding. Afew immature Striated
Caracaras visit the settlement but they are not known to breed
within the group. The island rates A4i status through the large
colonies of Imperial Shags and Rock Shags present in
November 2003. The globally threatened Macaroni Penguin
may breed, but this needs confirmation. The Tussacbird was
numerous prior to rat infestation but very few are breeding
now. Endemic sub-species present include Whitetufted/
Rolland’s Grebes, Black-crowned Night-herons and
Upland Geese. The Falkland Grass Wren was present only in
protected Tussac paddocks along the south-east-facing coast.
Non-bird biodiversity: The BSES recorded 79 species of flowering plants from 20
1-km squares; 53 were native, 26 were introduced species
and four endemic: Lady’s Slipper Calceolari fothergillii,
Clubmoss Cudweed Chevreulia lycopodioides, Vanilla Daisy
Leucheria suaveolens and Coastal Nassauvia Nassauvia
gaudichaudii. Interesting species of note included the Yellow
Orchid Gavilea littoralis, Whitlowgrass Draba funiculosa,
Californian Club-rush Schoenoplectus californicus and
Gillie’s Dandelion Taraxacum gilliesii.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Norway Rats were accidentally introduced to Bleaker in the
mid-1980s and have now spread throughout the island and
on to First, Second and Third Islands. Feral cats were
present for many years until they were eradicated in 2001.
It is very important to establish whether rats are present on
Sandy Bay, Halt, North Point and Ghost Islands. The
Cobb’s Wren was present and breeding on Bleaker Island in
1961 before the introduction of rats but was noticeably
absent in November 2003. All visitors should be informed
about the dangers of accidentally introducing alien species
to the islands. On Bleaker Island itself, a limited
programme is under way to control rats around the
settlement, and eradication work for the whole island may
be considered in the future. If this is successful, there is
high potential for increased numbers of IBA qualifying
species in the future.
The vegetation on the main island has suffered from years
of overgrazing. Reduced grazing pressure in recent years
and replanting of eroded areas in protected paddocks is
allowing slow regeneration of Tussac and native flowering
plants. Bleaker Island is a developing tourist destination
within the Falklands and it is very important that the
Falkland Islands Countryside Code (see Appendix 1) is
followed, particularly to guard against the risk of fire.
On the outlying islands, the main priority for future work
is to assess their bird populations. No management plans
can be made until this information is obtained.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Bleaker Island Group (Falkland Islands (Malvinas)). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/bleaker-island-group-iba-falkland-islands-(malvinas) on 22/12/2024.
