1 Manx shearwaters on Skomer
ATINY island off the Pembrokeshire coast boasts the largest breeding colony of Manx shearwaters (Puffinus puffinus) in the world; they arrive in March from South America. When the bird was first scientifically recorded, in 1676 on the Calf of Man, it was known as the Manx puffin for its plump shape and, like puffins, which are also prolific on Skomer, they nest in burrows to avoid predation by gulls. The shearwater’s physiognomy (with its legs set far back on the body) is organised for graceful swimming and flying, not walking, and its slow waddle makes the bird vulnerable.
A summer-evening boat cruise from Martin’s Haven is the prime viewing time although, ironically, it is rough weather that will bring the birds out. An overnight stay on Skomer is an atmospheric, if deafening experience, as they scream to each other to return to the right burrow in the manner of an exasperated wife retrieving her husband from the pub.
2 Dolphins off the west Cornish coast
THE heartwarming sight of smiley-faced dolphins bounding through the waves is not confined to Cornwall, but locals in the know are to be found sighting them through telescopes from the rocky cliffs at Porthgwarra, south of Land’s End. Here, the seas can teem with bottlenose or common dolphins (which may live in pods of up to 100).
The more solitary harbour porpoise— dubbed the ‘puffing pig’ for its snuffling breathing sound—may be glimpsed rolling around closer to shore off much of the South-West coast.
3 Turnstones in the Taw/Torridge estuary
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der June 09, 2021-Ausgabe von Country Life UK.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der June 09, 2021-Ausgabe von Country Life UK.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
Happiness in small things
Putting life into perspective and forces of nature in farming
Colour vision
In an eye-baffling arrangement of geometric shapes, a sinister-looking clown and a little girl, Test Card F is one of television’s most enduring images, says Rob Crossan
'Without fever there is no creation'
Three of the top 10 operas performed worldwide are by the emotionally volatile Italian composer Giacomo Puccini, who died a century ago. Henrietta Bredin explains how his colourful life influenced his melodramatic plot lines
The colour revolution
Toxic, dull or fast-fading pigments had long made it tricky for artists to paint verdant scenes, but the 19th century ushered in a viridescent explosion of waterlili
Bullace for you
The distinction between plums, damsons and bullaces is sweetly subtle, boiling down to flavour and aesthetics, but don’t eat the stones, warns John Wright
Lights, camera, action!
Three remarkable country houses, two of which have links to the film industry, the other the setting for a top-class croquet tournament, are anything but ordinary
I was on fire for you, where did you go?
In Iceland, a land with no monks or monkeys, our correspondent attempts to master the art of fishing light’ for Salmo salar, by stroking the creases and dimples of the Midfjardara river like the features of a loved one
Bravery bevond belief
A teenager on his gap year who saved a boy and his father from being savaged by a crocodile is one of a host of heroic acts celebrated in a book to mark the 250th anniversary of the Royal Humane Society, says its author Rupert Uloth
Let's get to the bottom of this
Discovering a well on your property can be viewed as a blessing or a curse, but all's well that ends well, says Deborah Nicholls-Lee, as she examines the benefits of a personal water supply
Sing on, sweet bird
An essential component of our emotional relationship with the landscape, the mellifluous song of a thrush shapes the very foundation of human happiness, notes Mark Cocker, as he takes a closer look at this diverse family of birds