Eadie Island

Eadie Island
South Shetland Islands (British Antarctic Territory)
Location
Location:	61°28’45"S, 55°56’31"W
Data

Eadie Island is a small island which lies between Aspland Island and O'Brien Island to the south-west of Elephant Island in the eastern cluster of the South Shetland Islands in the British Antarctic Territory.

Between Eadie Island and O'Brien Island runs a narrow channel named the Tasman Rip, which is subject to strong tidal rips and whirlpools.

The isle was roughly charted in February-March 1820 by Bransfield, who called this group of three islands 'O'Briens Islands'. It further charted in February 1821 by the Russian Antarctic Expedition under Bellingshausen. Later charts showed Eadie as part of Aspland Island and called descriptively 'Sugarloaf Peninsula'. It was recharted by Discovery Investigations in January 1937 and named 'Eadie Island' after the Dockyard Manager of the Melbourne Harbour Trust in Williamstown, Australia, who assisted Discovery Investigations.

The island was photographed from the air by the Falkland Islands and Dependencies Aerial Survey Expedition in the season 1956-57 and was visited by the Joint Services Expedition to the Elephant Island Group in January 1977, on which occasion the summit was climbed.

Birds

The island forms part of the 'Aspland Island and Eadie Island Important Bird Area' declared by BirdLife International, because both islands support large colonies of chinstrap penguins and southern fulmars.

References

• Gazetteer and Map of The British Antarctic Territory: Eadie Island