Ryder Bay Islands Important Bird Area

It has been identified as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it supports significant numbers of breeding seabirds, notably south polar skuas.

They were resurveyed in 1936 by the British Graham Land Expedition (BGLE) under John Rymill, and in 1948 by the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey (FIDS).

Rothera Point and most of the islands in the IBA have patches of persistent snow, but are rocky, with irregular coastlines that include beaches, steep cliffs and scattered rocks and boulders, providing ice-free ground and crevices for nesting seabirds.

Southern elephant, Antarctic fur, Weddell and crabeater seals haul out on land or adjacent floating ice at the point and the islands in the summer.

[1] This article incorporates public domain material from "Ryder Bay Islands Important Bird Area".