Dolphin Gull on Bleaker Island in the Falklands
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 square kilometres ( sq mi) and is 19 kilometres (12 mi) long. The island is no wider than km ( 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 ( 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 dolphin gull (Leucophaeus scoresbii), sometimes erroneously called the red-billed gull (a somewhat similar but unrelated species from New Zealand), is a gull native to southern Chile and Argentina, and the Falkland Islands. It is a coastal bird inhabiting rocky, muddy and sandy shores and is often found around seabird colonies. They have greyish feathers, and the feathers on their wings are a darker shade. Dolphin gulls have a varied diet, eating many things ranging from mussels to carrion. The modern scientific name Leucophaeus scoresbii, together with the obsolete common name Scoresby's gull, commemorates the English explorer William Scoresby (1789–1857).
Size: 4323px × 2882px
Location: Bleaker Island Falkland Islands
Photo credit: © Philip Jones / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: _d, atlantic, birds, bleaker, dolphin, falkland, falklands, gull, horizontal, island, islands, land, larus, malvinas, scoresbii, south
