Bustling Bird Island
Programme
Expedition Date
30 August 2008 - 17 December 2008
The Mission
Bird Island is the best place in the world to see albatrosses and Antarctic fur seals. During the Antarctic winter the island’s beaches lie bare but when spring finally arrives every inch of coastline becomes a crowded breeding site. The programme makers want to film the animals that arrive to form these massive colonies.
Latest Stories
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Surrounded by fur sealsWildlife cameraman John Aitchison becomes a victim of crime in a bustling fur seal colony.
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Do blond seals have more fun?Scientist Ewan Edwards investigates whether blond fur seal pups enjoy the lighter side of life.
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Masses of macaroni penguinsDiscover big Mac - a huge, smelly Macaroni penguin colony on a tiny sub-Antarctic island.
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Albatrosses – mates for life Cameraman John Aitchison discovers how albatross pairs maintain their enduring bond.
Meet the explorers
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Matt SwarbrickMatt is a researcher for the Natural History Unit. He's spent time on South Georgia researching for his PhD on Macaroni penguin and fur seal behaviour.
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John AitchisonJohn is a wildlife cameraman and photographer. He's worked on many BBC programmes including Big Cat Diary and Springwatch.
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Ewan EdwardsEwan is a zoological field assistant at the British Antarctic Survey's Bird Island Research Station near South Georgia.
Where on Earth?
The expedition is based at the British Antarctic Survey research station on Bird Island. This tiny island is near South Georgia, over 1,000km east of the Falkland Islands which lie off the tip of South America. During the breeding season the island has one bird or seal for every 1.5m², making it one of the busiest wildlife sites in the world.
© Microsoft Virtual Earth, image courtesy of Navteq
Site links
BBC links
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