MASS MIGRATION OF BALEARIC SHEARWATERS INTO THE CHANNEL
Laurent Thebault and French colleagues have noted a large arrival of
globally endangered Balearic Shearwaters in recent days into NW European
waters.
On 15th June 650 were counted in the Bay of St Brieuc off the north coast of
Brittany.
On the 20th June, more than 3000 were counted off the Brittany coastline
including 1000 off Finistere, north west Brittany and 2100 in the Bay of
Mont St Michel, located at the base of the Cherbourg Peninsula.
The counts show that a high proportion of the world's population of this
globally endangered seabird are now present in Channel waters - a pattern of
northward spread to moult and feed which has been increasingly apparent in
recent years. This trend has been linked to climate change and changes in
the distribution of key prey sources such as Anchovy and other shoaling
pelagic fish.
As yet few have been recorded in British waters (Russel Wynn pers. comm.),
though a large arrival is possible over the next fortnight.
MARINElife has an ongoing project to monitor this seabird so that measures
can be put in place to safeguard their future.
