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Site description (2006 baseline):
Site location and context
Second Passage Island, by far the largest of this group, is
over 5.6 miles (9 km) from east to west and up to 1.2 miles
(2 km) wide. There are cliffs up to 30 m high of very
unstable decaying rock strata around most of the coast. The
highest point is Sixtus Hill at 75 m in the eastern half of the
island. A small sheltered bay provides the only safe landing
near the centre of the northern coast. There is considerable
‘black ground’ above the cliffs and especially behind the
old woolshed at the northern inlet where the valley is full
of decomposed peat dust, indicating that much of the
vegetation has been over-grazed in the past. Tussac is
restricted to steep rocky slopes, the western point and the
cliffs along the northern shore. There are several ponds,
some of which are seasonal and shallow but one, with
thriving vegetation, provides feeding grounds for wading
birds and waterfowl.
Third and Fourth Passage Islands are just 800 m apart and
both are low lying, rising to just over 30 m. They are
covered with dense Tussac, except for a coastal strip on
Fourth Passage and a central area of grassland on Third
Passage Island. Both islands were stocked briefly with
cattle during the 1960s; since then they have been
ungrazed. All three islands are free of introduced
predators.
On Second Passage Island, 32 species were recorded in
November 1997. Of these, 28 probably breed, including all
the resident songbirds except the Falkland Pipit. Six pairs
of Striated Caracaras and one pair of Ruddy-headed Geese
were recorded but do not qualify the site. The primary
importance of this group of islands is the large breeding
population of Southern Giant Petrels on Third Passage
Island, though the exact size of the colony is unknown.
There is a possibility that Third and Fourth Passage Islands
support breeding populations of Thin-billed Prions, though
this has yet to be confirmed.
Non-bird biodiversity: Six adult Southern Sea Lions were noted on Second
Passage Island during the 2003 census, and Third Passage
Island held a total of 80 Southern Sea Lions, which
included 30 pups. A total of 30 species of flowering plants
was recorded on Second Passage Island in November 1997,
including both endemic ragworts, Coastal Nassauvia
Nassauvia gaudichaudii and Lady’s Slipper Calceolaria
fothergillii.
Despite being heavily grazed, there were only three species
of introduced plants, possibly because the island lies to the
west of West Falkland.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Third and Fourth Passage Islands are managed by the
owner as nature reserves with a ‘no access’ policy. Survey
work to record species and estimate or count their
populations would be valuable, although considerable
assistance has been given to remotely monitor penguin
species and Southern Giant-petrels, for which the islands
are most important, through aerial photography. The no
access policy promotes conservation and minimises the
risks of alien introductions and fire. The late Cecil Bertrand
provided information to R. W. Woods in 1983, from his
visits in the 1930s when no rats were seen on either island.
The current rodent status of Third and Fourth Passage is
not known. Second Passage Island is rat free and all sheep
have been removed. The vegetation is showing signs of
recovery. It is important that visitors to the island follow
the Falkland Islands Countryside Code,
particularly to guard against the risk of fire.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Passage Islands Group (Falkland Islands (Malvinas)). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/passage-islands-group-iba-falkland-islands-(malvinas) on 25/11/2024.
