4581 x 3054 px | 38,8 x 25,9 cm | 15,3 x 10,2 inches | 300dpi
Data acquisizione:
novembre 2016
Ubicazione:
Bleaker Island Falkland Islands
Altre informazioni:
Bleaker Island is long, narrow and low-lying and the southern tip of the Island is separated from Lafonia by a thin stretch of water named 'The Jump'. It has an area of 20.70 square kilometres (7.99 sq mi) and is 19 kilometres (12 mi) long. The island is no wider than 2.5 km (1.6 mi) at any point and tapers to several thin necks of land at various points down its length. The highest point is Semaphore Hill, at 27 metres (89 ft). The western shores of Bleaker Island are low-lying and fringed by shallow stone beaches. The east coast of the island is characterised by low cliffs, interspersed with sand and pebble beaches and gultches and is directly exposed to the Atlantic Ocean. The Island has several large ponds and the most impressive beach is the 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) 'Sandy Bay'. The name is a corruption of "Breaker Island" due to the waves that break on it. It was also known as "Long Island" at one point. The rock shag (Phalacrocorax magellanicus), also known as the Magellanic cormorant, is a marine cormorant found around the southernmost coasts of South America. Its breeding range is from around Valdivia, Chile, south to Cape Horn and Tierra del Fuego, and north to Punta Tombo in Argentina. In winter it is seen further north, with individuals reaching as far as Santiago, Chile on the west coast and Uruguay on the east. The birds also breed around the coasts of the Falkland Islands At a distance, the rock shag is a black and white bird, with head, neck and upperparts black and chest and underparts white. Closer up, the black areas vary from metallic blue to oily green, and are flecked with white in places. The legs and feet are a pink, fleshy colour, and the bare flesh around the beak and eyes is brick red. In breeding condition, there is a blackish though not very prominent crest on the forehead, and a distinctive white ear patch. There is even less sexual dimorphism than in most cormorant species, but males are 5%-10% larger on most size measurements.
