Around 70% of the earth’s surface is covered by oceans, with these vast, wondrous bodies of water an essential part of our planet’s lifecycle. Plastic, however, is a serious threat to our oceans, and the wildlife that are so dependent on them. Ocean pollution is a huge issue, with plastic a particularly prominent pollutant. Researchers […]
The vast oceans that cover 70% of the earth’s surface are a natural wonder that is essential to supporting life on our planet. Despite this, however, our oceans are not treated with the respect they deserve, with pollution a huge problem that is increasing exponentially across the world. Around 1.4 billion pounds of rubbish is […]
The turbulent waters around the southern part of South America are some of the most productive in the world, with upwellings of nutrients that support a whole suite of species. Along the Patagonian Shelf to the east, around the southern tip of the continent at Cape Horn and up into the Humboldt Current to the […]
So much plastic trash is flowing into the oceans that 90 percent of seabirds eat it now and virtually every one will be consuming it by 2050. That finding, revealed in a new study published this week, tracks for the first time how widespread plastics have become inside seabirds around the world. “That was shocking,” […]
Hot topics Currently there are a few stories hitting the news across Mull; the possibility of Mull becoming a national nature reserve and the issue of the pine marten (Martes martes) breeding on the isle. It is safe to say I have some strong opinions on both of these hot topics. Here on the isle […]
Seabirds, especially pelagic species, are more threatened than most other bird groups with similar numbers of species. Among them,Storm-petrels (family Hydrobatidae) are diverse and widespread in the Pacific Ocean.Markham’s Storm-Petrel (Oceanodroma markhami) is common in the Humboldt Current, including pelagic and coastal waters of Ecuador, Peru, and Chile between 18°N and 30°S. Only a couple […]
Last month, in the Coquimbo region of northern Chile, more than 600 guanay cormorants and penguins were found dead on the beaches. The citizen control that monitors the area reported that on May 10, ten fishing boats were seen approaching the beach opposite the Los Choros ravine. Two days later, the Movement in Defense of […]
A migratory shorebird that has flown more than 400,000 miles has reappeared once again. The bird, dubbed “B95” after the number on his leg band or “Moonbird” for the distance he has flown over his lifespan, is a rufus red knot (Calidris canutus rufus) that scientists have been tracking for 19 years. Each May his […]
It sounds ludicrous, but it could just be true: scientists say seagulls may be responsible for hundreds of southern right whale moralities off the Argentine coastline. Since 2003, scientists have documented the deaths of 605 southern right whales (Eubalaena australis) near Península Valdés which the whales use as a nursery. Notably, 88 percent of these […]
The Black-headed Gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus) is a small gull which breeds in much of Europe and Asia, and also in coastal eastern Canada. Most of the population is migratory, wintering further south, but some birds in the milder westernmost areas of Europe are resident. Some birds will also spend the winter in northeastern North America. […]
The Common Tern (Sterna hirundo) is a seabird of the tern family Sternidae. This bird has a circumpolar distribution breeding in temperate and sub-Arctic regions of Europe, Asia and east and central North America. It is strongly migratory, wintering in the subtropical and tropical oceans. It is sometimes known as the sea swallow. Factsheet: Common […]
The European Shag or Common Shag (Phalacrocorax aristotelis) is a species of cormorant. It breeds around the rocky coasts of western and southern Europe, southwest Asia and north Africa, mainly wintering in its breeding range except for northernmost birds. In Britain this seabird is usually referred to as simply the Shag. Factsheet: European Shag Phalacrocorax aristotelis (LC)
The Sandwich Tern (Thalasseus sandvicensis) syn. Sterna sandvicensis is a seabird of the tern family Sternidae. The current genus name is derived from Greek Thalassa, “sea”, and sandvicensis refers to Sandwich, Kent, Latham’s type locality. In birds, the specific name sandvicensis usually denotes that the species was first described from Hawaii, formerly known as the […]
