06 Mar 2014

Snipe Prolific

Following on from my last blog, Campbell Island certainly did not disappoint. We spent two full days there enjoying some amazing weather and many wonderful wildlife encounters. We hiked, climbed and cruised in Zodiacs. We birded, botanised and looked at history. In fact we came as close to the heart of this incredible island as is possible.

One of the undoubted highlights this year has been the number of sightings of the endemic Snipe. This little bird was unknown to science until the mid 1990’s when it was discovered on a small islet off the Campbell Island coast and made its way onto the island. Since the successful rat eradication programme it has thrived there to the point where we have seen more Snipe this summer than in previous years.

We are now enroute to the Snares Islands. If conditions at first light tomorrow morning are kind we will take a Zodiac cruise there before continuing north to the port of Bluff.