In the latest instalment of her survey Roxanne describes the progress made by her protégés, and then considers the seagulls’ dietary habits and lists some of the other birds which are eking out a living and raising their young on the arid little island of Perdiguera.
The continuing saga of the seagulls of Isla Perdiguera, researched and related by Roxanne, the Ship’s Naturalist.
The Ship’s Naturalist has been kept very busy over the past few weeks, caring for her two yellow-legged gulls. She has also been keeping her diary up to date, and the delay in bringing you part five of the Seagull Survey is through no fault of her own. Part six really will follow shortly – I promise!
The May Day weekend was a busy one at Isla Perdiguera, with hordes of yotties turning up to enjoy a barbecue on the beach or a rather chilly dip in the sea. Unfortunately, quite a few also took a ramble around the island, so that the yellow-legged gulls raising their young on the hillsides had rather a stressful time. The Ship’s Naturalist was there, keeping an eye on her friends and proteges.
Part three of Roxanne’s report on the yellow-legged gulls of Isla Perdiguera
The continuing saga of Romulus and Remus, combined with further observations on the seagull colony on Isla Perdiguera.
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…
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.
It was on March 3rd that we finally left the marina. Not for the absolute, last time ever – because it’s the only safe place to leave the boat when we need to go into Cartagena – but for the last time as fee paying members of the La Manga community. We have relinquished the berth which was our home for the previous three years, and we won’t be going back to that lifestyle.
Forty years ago the Spanish were still claiming the western half of the Sahara and fighting to keep a hold of that territory. It was not to be – they lost the land – but the way things are going they need no longer feel aggrieved by the loss. The Sahara desert is now all set to hop across the Straits and occupy Southern Spain.