It was discovered in 1775 by a British expedition under James Cook, who so named it "on account of the vast numbers [of birds] that were upon it".
In the late 1950s, the island was the subject of a number of US-funded projects. Between 1959–62, a great number of the island's wandering albatross were ringed, which gave startling data about their range - one bird was found in Australia.[citation needed]
The summit of the island, Roché Peak, is named after the Englishman Anthony de la Roché who discovered South Georgia in 1675. Farewell Point forms the northeast extremity of Bird Island.
The second highest peak on the island (at 290m) is named Tickell Peak, after the Englishman Lance Tickell. He assisted in some of the first science on Bird Island in 1958/59. He returned twice more before the mid 1960s working on seals and albatrosses, and was one of the first to overwinter there.
2008 marked the 50th anniversary of biological research on Bird Island. Among the notable events in that year was the return of the Grey-headed albatross which was ringed as a chick by Tickell in 1958.
The island has been a station for Antarctic research since 1963 and is currently a biological research station of the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) at Jordan Cove, with three resident biologists and one technician. The main focus of the research is the ecology and population of the island's seabirds and seals.
While the British Magistrate and other civilians and military present in Grytviken were removed from South Georgia during the Argentine occupation of South Georgia in 1982, another 15 Britons remained beyond Argentine reach. The losses suffered at Grytviken prevented Argentina from occupying the rest of the island, with Bird Island Station, and field camps at Schlieper Bay, Lyell Glacier and St. Andrews Bay remaining under British control.
Wildlife
The island is home to:
65,000 Antarctic fur seals (around 1 for every 6 m2 (65 sq ft) of the island)
