Back home in Norwich already, but I have some more Scottish tales to tell. On July 31st we went out to sea with my mate Phil from Shetland Seabird Tours. We left Lerwick harbour and headed towards Noss NNR. Phil boat is great – small enough to get close to water level, but sits very […]
Tag: Arctic Tern
Alaska – 13th June (Day 17)
It was our final mornings birding in Barrow and indeed in Alaska as this was the final day of the trip. We decided to head out to the point to get some final views of Polar Bear. As we drove along the coast road the male Snowy Owl from yesterday was perched close to the […]
Alaska – 8th June (Day 12)
Today was a key day in the Nome section of the trip with one of the star birds to see. We were up early and headed up the Kougarok Road to Mile Post 72 we arrived at around 06:00. This site is known as the Coffee Dome, the summit of this relatively small hill is […]
‘Flat out scary’: Only 9% of world’s migratory birds adequately protected
Migratory birds are awe-inspiring. Every year, millions traverse across oceans and continents, many each racking up thousands of miles as they fly. The longest marathon migrant, the Arctic tern, covers more than 70,000 kilometers (about 44,000 miles) annually during its journey from the Arctic to the Antarctic, and back. However, very few migratory bird species […]
Puffin Stravaganza
Although we rarely do any birds anymore, we remain fascinated by the Auk family, especially the Puffins. Since our son Rodrigo and his wife live in England, we decided to visit the rookery islands while spending time with the kids. There are a lot of cottages available for rent in Seahouses, base for the birding […]
Restless Muse on Migrating Birds
Aristotle was a brilliant philosopher and observer of nature. He pioneered the study of zoology, but he was utterly clueless about bird migration. The seasonal appearance and disappearance of the birds in his native Greece perplexed him. Similar appearing species must be “transmuted” into each other across seasons, he reasoned, to explain the disappearance of […]
Urgent action needed to protect seabirds, say RSPB Scotland
Scotland’s seabird populations are in need of “urgent action” to halt significant, long-term declines, according to a report. A study from RSPB Scotland proposes creating seven sites to be designated as Special Protection Areas (SPA) to protect key feeding areas. It claims that the Scottish government is in danger of breaking conservation legislation if no […]
Pectoral Sandpipers in Shasta County?
Well it’s not unheard of but pretty rare to see Pectoral Sandpipers in Shasta County. You see the Pectoral Sandpiper is a medium-sized sandpiper that breeds on wet tundra in both the North American and Siberian Arctic and winters mostly in southern South America1. I know range maps basically show the “average” or “normal” range […]