Birding in the South Atlantic
How lucky am I to help protect seabirds on this stunningly diverse island paradise that I get to call home?
Growing up on an island in the middle of the South Atlantic naturally draws you to the ocean ñ you fall in love with it. Our centuries-old maritime history and love for the ocean is embedded into our culture and lifestyle. My love and understanding of how precious our ocean is, has made me pursue a career to conserve it and the creatures that call it home. Prepared for the long day ahead I leave my home in the greenery of the countryside and head towards the islandís capital. The view never gets old as I break away from the dense trees and see the colourful, Georgian-style houses of Jamestown packed tightly into the rocky valley, stretching from about a mile inland all the way down to the deep-blue ocean beyond. What a way to start the day. In the St Helena National Trust Marine Team weíre currently focusing on seabirds. We aim to collect data on a number of St Helenaís nine seabird species to aid future conservation plans. Iím excited EHFDXVH ZH♣UH LQ WKH →HOG research stage and this evening will be one of many trips to Egg ΖVODQG ❣ DQ R VKRUH KDELWDW ZLWK the largest colony of Madeiran Storm Petrels on St Helena. Madeiran Storm Petrels Egg Island is a small, rocky RXWFURS R WKH OHHZDUG VLGH of the island, once used by the British military to defend the island and now a home for many seabird species. Late that afternoon we pack our research gear and take a stroll to the seafront where our transport, a large red boat named The Enchanted Isle, rocks gently with the ocean swell in the sheltered bay. As the boat pulls away from shore we head up to the bow where the splash of sea-spray cools us from the heat of the summerís day. I look inward as we pass the capital, at the great gate that once protected it and the spire of the oldest Anglican church in the southern hemisphere rising high behind it. I turn my attention to the dramatic oranges and browns of the volcanic coastline. The VWHHS H[WHULRU FOL V D QDWXUDO fortress. As the sun starts to descend into dusk we cross into a smaller boat that takes us to the foot of the outcrop. We pass the equipment up the craggy hill and my colleagues follow. With access to Egg Island limited to authorised research I feel privileged to be one of the few conservationists to explore it on foot. Before now Iíve only seen Egg Island from the ocean; on boat trips, the boat would get close, so close that Egg Island looked mountainous and weíd see countless seabirds resting on the ledges, looking curiously at us, just as we were at them. Carefully navigating the jagged terrain we hiked past QDWXUDO QHVWV DQG DUWL→FLDO QHVWV ❣ LQVWDOOHG WR KHOS ↔HGJLQJ success ñ mostly empty. Soon these nests would be occupied as hundreds of seabirds make their way home for the night. Iím mesmerised watching them VZHHS WKURXJK WKH VNLHV →Qding their way back to their nests. Getting out our gear we begin collecting biometrics data from the Madeiran Storm Petrels. Itís the smallest of St Helenaís