ISLAND SERIES - PART 7

Saunders Island

Issue Date: 28 September 2007








Introduction

Saunders Islands is the fourth largest of the Falkland Islands. It comprises over 12,500 hectares of some of the finest farmland, scenery and wildlife habitat in the archipelago. The island was named after Sir Charles Saunders, a British Admiral who accompanied Lord Anson during his round-the-world voyage in the late 18th century.

Saunders Island is owned today by Tony and David Pole-Evans and operated as a traditional family farm running 7500 sheep. It is one of the last places in the archipelago where you can still see stock being mustered on horseback. During the summer the Pole-Evans family welcomes many guests from across the world who come to see the impressive wildlife. The majority of Falkland birds and marine mammals are present and breed on or around the property, including all five Falkland penguins, Black-browed Albatross and Elephant Seal. In addition there is a rich variety of plants.

Saunders rises to an impressive 457 metres at the summit of Mount Richards and boasts some of the Falklands' most impressive sand beaches.

42p - Earliest British settlement, Port Egmont

During the mid-eighteenth century the potential importance of the Falklands as a military and commercial base was becoming increasingly apparent. In 1764 a British expedition under Captain John Byron was dispatched from Plymouth Sound in two ships, HMS Dolphin and the sloop Tamar, with secret instructions to chart and survey the Islands. On the 15th January 1765 while on the eastern side of the then unnamed Saunders Island, they entered a broad harbour which Byron dubbed Port Egmont after the First Lord of the Admiralty. He established gardens near a small and sheltered cove judged to be ideal for a settlement. The following year three ships under Captain John McBride arrived with orders to establish a fortification at the site. Construction began in January of that year and continued for several summers. In 1770 Port Egmont was taken forcibly by the Spanish who had a rival claim to the Falklands. However, by the following year it was back in British hands only to be finally abandoned by them in 1774. Thereafter it became a base for itinerant sealers until 1780 when the settlement was destroyed by order of the Spanish Government. The illustration shows the remnants of a large stone construction, almost certainly a storehouse, which was probably built between 1771 and 1773. This was the second largest building in the settlement, measuring nearly 38 metres long and over 11 metres wide. These ruins are the most impressive remains of the earliest British attempt to colonize the Falkland Islands.

42p - Rockhopper Penguin Eudyptes c. chrysocome

Each spring Rockhoppers return to their traditional cliff-top breeding colonies after spending the winter at sea. Males arrive back in early October to be joined a few days later by the females. Pairs are soon formed and small individual nesting territories are established within the colony. "Rockies" are noisy and pugnacious and defend their homes with considerable vigour. Larger colonies are both raucous and pungent and sites are often shared with Black-browed Albatross and King Shags. The first of two white eggs are laid in late October. Both male and female share the parenting duties until the fledged chicks go to sea in February. Usually only one chick is successfully reared although it is not uncommon in some years for both to survive to fledging. After the young have departed, the adults briefly return to the sea to fatten up before returning to the colonies for the annual moult. By April the breeding sites are deserted until the following spring. The Falkland population of Rockhoppers has been in decline for at least the past two decades. Evidence suggests that during this period the overall numbers may have fallen by up to a staggering 90%. The cause of this remarkable decline, although unproven, is possibly due to global climate change, although a link to the fishing industry cannot be ruled out.

42p - Dusty Miller Primula magellanica

Although only locally common this is a fairly widespread species which, in spring and early summer, produces noticeable round "pom-poms" of small white flowers on stalks up to 20cm high. It is the only primula found growing wild in the islands and is thought to have been more common in times prior to the introduction of grazing animals. In South America it is widespread in Tierra del Fuego and ranges north to 48°S. Dusty Millers occur from sea level to an elevation of 600 feet in dry, open, dwarf shrub heathland. The flowers can be fertilized by their own pollen, a useful adaptation for a plant which sometimes grows in isolation amongst islands which are relatively poor in pollinating insect life.

42p - Crested Caracara Caracara p. plancus

A large, colourful and conspicuous hawk, the Crested Caracara is found throughout the islands and ranges north as far as the southern United States. It occurs in three races, the northernmost being the national bird of Mexico (Mexican Eagle). The southernmost and largest race is that found in the Falklands where it is locally named the "Carancho". It is possibly a very recent introduction to the Islands' avifauna and may have been attracted by the mass introduction of livestock in the mid 19th century. By 1908, because of attacks on fallen sheep and lambs, a bounty was placed on its beak which was to persist for three quarters of a century. Shy and intelligent, the carancho is both hunter and scavenger; eating insects, grubs, small birds and carrion. It is resident throughout the Falklands, nesting between the months of October and December on cliffs and crags and also, where available, in trees.

Notes compiled by Tony Chater





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