Dion Islands
The Dion Islands are a group of small islands and rocks lying in the northern part of Marguerite Bay, south-west of Cape Alexandra, Adelaide Island, off the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula. They were discovered by the French Antarctic Expedition, 1908–10, and named by Jean-Baptiste Charcot for the Marquis Jules-Albert de Dion, who donated three motor sledges and whose De Dion-Bouton works produced equipment for the expedition.The islands have been identified as an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International because they support a breeding colony of about 500 pairs of imperial shags. There is also a small colony of about 150 pairs of emperor penguins, the second-most northerly known of this species and one of only two on land. The site has been designated an Antarctic Specially Protected Area because of the penguin colony. However, this colony was reported lost due to climatic changes in 2011.
