Orcadas Base staff, scenery, and seabirds
The site of an expedition by Scottish scientist William Speirs Bruce from 1902-04, Orcadas Base is an Antarctic research station on Laurie Island. In 1904, with the permission of the British Consul in Buenos Aires, it was gifted to Argentina following the Speirs Bruce’s expedition. Orcadas Base is an easy landing site with friendly staff, historic ruins, and exotic bird life.
A brief history of Orcadas ownership
Shortly after Argentina took ownership of the base, permanent Argentine residents settled there and set up a post office, claiming sovereignty by occupation. The United Kingdom had previously claimed sovereignty of Orcadas Base by discovery.
The other residents of Orcadas Base
While visiting Orcadas Base, you might see some of the regional seabirds that call Laurie Island home. These include breeding pairs of southern giant petrels, and with the permission of the base’s personnel, we might even visit nearby Punta Cormoran, which has an Adélie penguin colony.