Barnard Point
Barnard Point is the southernmost point of Livingston Island, one of the South Shetland Islands in the British Antarctic Territory.
This headland marks the south-east side of the entrance to False Bay on the south side of the island, four miles south-east of Miers Bluff.
History
On Palmer's charts of 1820 it is marked as 'Freesland Point' or 'Point of Freeseland', while Davis appears to have charterd it as 'Penguin Point'. The headland was charted by Discovery Investigations in 1934-35 and named 'Barnard Point' after Captain Charles H. Barnard: the name was chosen in association with the name 'Mount Barnard', which is now called Mount Friesland, to preserve the name 'Barnard' in the area. Barnard was the captain of the ship Charity of New York, which was a sealer in the South Shetlands in 1820-21.
Important Bird Area
The site has been identified as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it supports a large breeding colony of chinstrap penguins (13,000 pairs), as well as about 30 pairs of southern giant petrels. The declared IBA covers 432 acres including the ice-free area at the point, which rises to a height of over 820 feet at its easternmost extent.[1]
Location
- Location map: 62°45’30"S, 60°20’26"W
References
- Gazetteer and Map of The British Antarctic Territory: Barnard Point
