Millions of wild birds may have died from bird flu globally in the latest outbreak, researchers have said, as the viral disease ravages South America, with 200,000 deaths recorded in Peru alone. The highly infectious variant of H5N1, which gained momentum in the winter of 2021, caused Europe’s worst bird flu outbreak before spreading globally. […]
Tag: Northern Gannet
Saltee Islands – Paradise for Seabirds
The Saltee Islands, St. George’s Channel consisting of the Great and Little Saltee, are situated approximately 5 kilometers off the coast of Kilmore Quay Co.Wexford. The larger island Great Saltee is the most famous bird sanctuary in Ireland and is very popular with both day-trippers and birdwatchers alike. These Islands are privately owned and are […]
No escape – Unsustainable European fishing practices harm seabirds
Each year, 200 000 seabirds die in the froth and foam of European waters alone, accidentally caught in the fishing nets of European fleets. And given the highly migratory journey of these seabirds and indeed European fishing fleets, these deadly fishing activities don’t stop in European waters. It is estimated that about 25% of European […]
Gannets flight tracked in real time for the first time via 3G
The vast distances gannets fly to catch fish are being tracked in “real time” for the first time using the 3G mobile network. People are being given the chance to see how Britain’s largest native seabirds journey through the English Channel from nests off Alderney in the Channel Islands to find food for their chicks, […]
Video: The Wild and Rowdy World of the Northern Gannet
Each year, vast numbers of these iconic sea birds gather in breeding colonies on islands off the Atlantic coast of Canada. In this video you’re invited to accompany me as we explore the daily life of these amazing, raucous, and gregarious sea birds. This video was originally produced for the Perfect Day Factory. […]
Melanistic Montagu’s Harrier and other Raptors
Here are some of the raptor photos we managed to see with my Swiss group from Arcatour last week. The wind direction swung around to give us moderate to strong Levante (easterlies) for five days and only died down on our last two days. Still, knowing what the migrating raptors do and where they will […]
Nearly Half of Our Birds Are at Risk of Extinction This Century
The National Audubon Society’s Birds and Climate Change Report should give us all deep cause for concern. The findings are heartbreaking: Nearly half of the bird species in the United States will be seriously threatened by 2080, and any of those could disappear forever. For the first time, Audubon scientists have analyzed decades of historical […]
Migrating Over a Carpet of Flowers
The last few weeks have been pretty busy for me with lots of tours and finding lots of migratory birds. This year’s early rain through the month of March was extreme but all along we knew that it would be a spectacular spring and hence have been rewarded with carpets of amazing multicoloured blooms covering […]