EuroBirdwatch 2017
The first leg of our EuroBirdwatch 2017 events took place on Sunday 1st October at Europa Point.
Seawatching was very productive, with over 300 Cory’s Shearwaters seen feeding off the point. These were chasing flying fish in association with Common Dolphins and Bluefin Tuna. They were joined by a small number of Scopoli’s Shearwaters (3 or 4 identified positively), 4 Balearic Shearwaters and a Great Shearwater that gave good views, sitting on the sea close to the point before flying away. There was a small passage of Sandwich Terns, with 10 birds flying west and 2 joining a flock of 20 Black-headed Gulls below the point, where a Great Cormorant was fishing. A Common Tern and 3 Audouin’s Gulls (2 adults and a juvenile) also flew west. Passage of Northern Gannets into the Mediterranean involved 11 adults and 2 2nd year birds. 4 Great Skuas were active in the area, often chasing Cory’s Shearwaters. A dark-phase Arctic Skua chased a Sandwich Tern until the latter dropped its prey. A Whimbrel and 2 Common Sandpipers were seen below the point. One of the resident Peregrines flew in from the Strait carrying a large prey item that could have been a wader.
