Shirley Island is a rocky island lying north-west of the western end of the

Bailey Peninsula Bailey Peninsula is a rocky peninsula, about long and wide, on the Budd Coast of Wilkes Land in Antarctica. It is the site of Australia’s Casey Station. Antarctic Specially Protected Area An area of land on the peninsula, lying only some 20 ...

, in the Windmill Islands of the

Budd Coast Budd Coast (), part of Wilkes Land, is that portion of the coast of Antarctica lying between the Hatch Islands, at 109°16'E, and Cape Waldron, at 115°33'E. It was discovered in February 1840 by the U.S. Exploring Expedition (1838–42) under t ...

Wilkes Land Wilkes Land is a large district of land in eastern Antarctica, formally claimed by Australia as part of the Australian Antarctic Territory, though the validity of this claim has been placed for the period of the operation of the Antarctic Treaty, ...

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest contine ...

.Shirley Island - Geonames
/ref> It is mostly ice-free with undulating, rocky terrain. It was first mapped from aerial photos taken by the

USN The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage o ...

's Operation Highjump in February 1947. It was named by the

US-ACAN The Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names (ACAN or US-ACAN) is an advisory committee of the United States Board on Geographic Names responsible for recommending commemorative names for features in Antarctica. History The committee was established ...

for Q. Shirley, chief photographer's mate on Operation Highjump photographic flights in coastal areas between 14° and 164° E longitude.

Kirkby Shoal Kirkby Shoal is a small shoal area with depths of less than extending about westwards and south-southwestwards, about from the summit of Shirley Island, Windmill Islands, and northwest of Stonehocker Point, Clark Peninsula. Discovery and na ...

is a small

shoal In oceanography, geomorphology, and geoscience, a shoal is a natural submerged ridge, bank, or bar that consists of, or is covered by, sand or other unconsolidated material and rises from the bed of a body of water to near the surface. It ...

area with depths of less than extending about westwards and south-south-west, about from the summit of Shirley Island. Launch Channel is the narrow body of water between Bailey Peninsula and the island; with the relatively shallow soundings in the channel restricting its use to smaller craft and suggesting the name.

Important Bird Area

A 414 ha site comprising both Shirley Island and neighbouring

Beall Island Beall Island is a rocky island with small coves indenting the eastern and western sides, lying south-west of the Bailey Peninsula, in the Windmill Islands on the Budd Coast of Antarctica. There are several small lakes on the island. It was fir ...

, as well as the intervening marine area, has been designated an

Important Bird Area An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations. IBA was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife Int ...

(IBA) by

BirdLife International BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding ...

because it supports breeding colonies of about 14,000 pairs of

Adélie penguin The Adélie penguin (''Pygoscelis adeliae'') is a species of penguin common along the entire coast of the Antarctic continent, which is the only place where it is found. It is the most widespread penguin species, and, along with the emperor p ...

s, based on 2011 satellite imagery. Other birds breeding in the IBA include

snow petrel The snow petrel (''Pagodroma nivea'') is the only member of the genus ''Pagodroma.'' It is one of only three birds that has been seen at the Geographic South Pole, along with the Antarctic petrel and the south polar skua, which have the most so ...

Wilson's storm petrel Wilson's storm petrel (''Oceanites oceanicus''), also known as Wilson's petrel, is a small seabird of the austral storm petrel family Oceanitidae. It is one of the most abundant bird species in the world and has a circumpolar distribution mainly ...

s and

south polar skua The south polar skua (''Stercorarius maccormicki'') is a large seabird in the skua family, Stercorariidae. An older name for the bird is MacCormick's skua, after explorer and naval surgeon Robert McCormick, who first collected the type specimen. ...

References

Important Bird Areas of Antarctica Seabird colonies Penguin colonies Windmill Islands {{WilkesLand-geo-stub

Important Bird Area

See also

References