Antarctica : Birding Down Under - Sub Antarctic Islands

The Snares, Bounty, Antipodes, Auckland, Campbell and Macquarie Islands occupy the stormy latitudes of the Roaring Forties and the Furious Fifties, known also as the ‘Albatross Latitudes’. The region hosts the most diverse collection of seabirds in the world. More than 40 seabird species – at least 11 percent of all the worlds’ seabirds – breed in the Sub Antarctic region, and over 120 species have been observed at the islands or in the surrounding oceans. Ten of the world’s albatross species- some 40 percent- breed in the region, five of them nowhere else! Among the world-wide family of petrels, shearwaters, fulmars and prions, 21 species or 30 percent breed on the Sub Antarctic Islands. Penguins too, are special in the Sub Antarctic region. Of seven penguin species breeding here, three (Snares crested, Erect crested and Royal) are endemic to the region. The land birds indicate, through their diversity, for just how long these islands have been isolated. No fewer than 15 species are Sub Antarctic endemics!

The “Birding Downunder” expedition includes all of these islands as well as the Chatham archipelago which lies just north of the Sub Antarctic region and is renowned for its high degree of endemism. This voyage commences at the Port of Bluff in New Zealand, (just 27km south of Invercargill on the South Island) and ends at the Port of Otago, Dunedin. Join the small expedition vessel the 'Spirit of Enderby' and enjoy the company of experienced naturalists and ornithologists, as well as the experienced crew of the vessel, and like-minded fellow passengers from all over the world! Why not take advantage of our specialist award-winning New Zealand programme and explore the ‘Land of the Long White Cloud’.