Seagull Survey (Part III)
Part three of Roxanne’s report on the yellow-legged gulls of Isla Perdiguera
Articles by Roxanne Schinas
About Roxanne Schinas
Roxanne is the only one of our ship’s company who can claim that she was actually born aboard a yacht. She can also claim to be the youngest sailor amongst us, having made her first channel crossing (from England to France) at two weeks of age. Her first birthday was spent a few days out from Cape Town, and her fifth one day out from the South Atlantic island of St Helena.
Two of Roxanne's first three years were spent living on a farm and her early interest in everything from earwigs to ostriches formed the foundation of her passion for wildlife. At the age of eight Roxanne won first prize in the RSPB’s Nature Diary competition in the 8 – 12 year olds category, and a couple of years afterwards she was asked to write an article for their junior magazine.
At ten she made an extensive study of a seagull colony, hand-reared two baby gulls, and wrote a book about the adventure. Two Gulls and a Girl is published by Imperator and is available via this website or from Amazon UK or Amazon US.
Seagull Survey (Part II)
The continuing saga of Romulus and Remus, combined with further observations on the seagull colony on Isla Perdiguera.
Seagull Survey (Part I)
Over the course of the past two months the Ship’s Naturalist has been making a survey of a colony of breeding gulls. Each nest which she finds is carefully marked on her hand-drawn map, and progress is recorded in her diary. The project is still on-going – every time we visit the colony there are new babies to photograph and new pieces of egg-shell to collect – but we decided that it was high time we let you take a…
Farewell and Adieu to Truco
We now lose a small but much loved member of the crew.
Isla Perdiguera
The ripples from the dinghy’s bow shot ahead of her across the calm water, as she was pushed forward by Daddy’s powerful stroke. I crouched in the bow next to Poppy and called out to the others. Xoë waved back.
A walk in the Sierra Minera
Roxanne is back again, with something new for you to read: I’ve been very busy lately. I have been building a wall around the edge of my dead hamster’s grave. My hamster – Chicita – died a year ago. And I’ve only just got round to building the wall round her grave… I’ve been planting seeds round the grave, mostly from the hamster’s food. (A year – and I haven’t got round to throwing away the hamsters food!) And I’ve…
The Story of a Goldfinch
Once upon a time… Combining her talent for studying wildlife with that of the raconteur, Roxanne has written a story. It isn’t a fairy tale, and although we will never really know how the adventure began the ending, at least, is a true story.
Life in the Mar Menor – Part 3 : Insects and other arthropods
The final episode of Roxanne’s wildlife trilogy is devoted to the creatures which many of us overlook or regard with fear and loathing: the creepy-crawlies.
Life in the Mar Menor – Part 2 : Birds
In the second instalment of her wildlife series, Roxanne introduces us to her feathered friends.
Life in the Mar Menor – Part 1 : Sealife
During the past couple of years Mollymawk has been based in the Mar Menor. It’s not the most attractive or exciting place in the world, but the Ship’s Naturalist has found plenty here to interest her. In this three part series she begins by telling us about the life which lurks in the water.