Current view: Text account
Site description (2015 baseline):
Site location and context
Shirley Island and Beall Island are part of the Windmill Islands group, Budd Coast, Wilkes Land. Shirley Island lies ~200 m west and Beall Island ~ 600 m southwest of Bailey Peninsula. Shirley Island is ~1.5 km long and ~0.5 km wide with a maximum elevation of 37 m, while Beall Island is ~2 km long and up to 1.5 km wide with a maximum elevation of 48 m. Both islands are mostly ice free with rocky, undulating terrain. Several small lakes are present on Beall Island, the largest of which lies at the north of the island and is saline (Hodgson
et al. 2006).
The IBA qualifies on the basis of the Adélie Penguin (
Pygoscelis adeliae) colony present and comprises Shirley Island, Beall Island and the intervening marine area.
The nearest permanent station is Casey (AUS), ~1 km to the east on Bailey Peninsula.
Woehler
et al. (1991) counted 7637 and 5225 breeding pairs of Adélie Penguin on Shirley Island and Beall Island respectively in 1989/90 (12 862 in total). Murray & Luders (1990) reported an average of around 7500 pairs breeding on Shirley Island in the 1970s. This compares with approximately 13 658 breeding pairs (95% CI 8163, 22 603) of Adélie Penguin present on Shirley Island and Beall Island as estimated from January 2011 satellite imagery (Lynch & LaRue 2014). On Shirley Island breeding is concentrated in the southwest, with smaller groups occupying the northeast, while on Beall Island breeding is mainly on elevated ground in the south.
Snow Petrels (
Pagodroma nivea) are widely distributed on Beall Island (Australian Antarctic Data Centre 2012), with ~452 breeding pairs counted in 2002/03 (Olivier, Lee & Woehler 2004). Snow Petrels also breed on the northeastern coast of Shirley Island, with ~61 breeding pairs counted in 2002/03 (Olivier, Lee & Woehler 2004). Wilson's Storm-petrel (
Oceanites oceanicus) and South Polar Skua (
Catharacta maccormicki) are confirmed breeding on Beall Island (Australian Antarctic Data Centre 2012), although numbers are not known.
Non-bird biodiversity: Weddell (
Leptonychotes weddellii), Leopard (
Hydrurga leptonyx) and Southern Elephant (
Mirounga leonina) seals have been reported in the area (Woehler
et al. 1991).
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Shirley Island and Beall Island lie in close proximity to Casey Station, and as such station operations have the potential to affect birdlife on these islands. In particular, both fixed wing and helicopter aircraft regularly operate out of Casey Station during the summer breeding season, and local flight paths pass within several km of the islands. Aircraft access is tightly regulated taking into account the number and location of breeding birds, although potentially adverse conditions may force aircraft to pass near or over breeding colonies on these islands.
Shirley Island lies within the limits of recreational access for station personnel (Australian Antarctic Data Centre 2014). Travel to Shirley Island for recreational and other purposes is allowed by permission of the station leader and in accordance with Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) operational procedures, and visitors are required to follow AAD wildlife viewing guidelines. Beall Island lies outside of Casey recreational limits, and visits to this island are likely therefore to be more limited and related to scientific or management purposes only with the permission of the station leader.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Shirley Island / Beall Island (Antarctica). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/shirley-island--beall-island-iba-antarctica on 28/12/2024.
