Page 14 - Out Birding Summer 2024

View From the Chair
I hope you have had a good start to the year and are
enjoying the longer days, warmer weather and first signs
of spring. For me, this is always an exci􏰀ng 􏰀me of the
year with the garden throwing up surprises, birds star􏰀ng
to show signs of nes􏰀ng and of course the arrival of sum-
mer visitors. Where I live, this happens later in the year
than for many of our members, so while many of you will have seen your first Swallows of the year, I have only just seen my first Chiffchaff at the 􏰀me of wri􏰀ng.
For me, it has been an exci􏰀ng start of the year, working for 10 weeks in the south- ern oceans on a Silversea cruise ship, the M.V. Silver Cloud. I was able to take George with me as my guest on board for one 15 day cruise which took him to the wonder- ful island that is South Georgia and to the Antarc􏰀c Peninsula. I stayed on board the ship for four more voyages. The last was interes􏰀ng in many ways because we crossed the Atlan􏰀c to Namibia with visits to the Falklands, South Georgia (again) and to Tristan da Cunha which is one of the most remote islands in the world. The four main islands are home to millions of interes􏰀ng and unusual nes􏰀ng birds, such as Tristan Albatross, Spectacled Petrel, Macgillivray’s Prion and Great Shearwaters. Gough Island is the loca􏰀on of a failed mouse eradica􏰀on project (they have been ea􏰀ng Albatross and Petrels alive in their nests). Of note for me was the presence of guest lecturer Peter Harrison, whose comprehensive iden􏰀fica􏰀on guide on seabirds in the 1980s was an inspira􏰀on for me through the early part of my career. He has seen every single known seabird species in the world apart from one, the Chinese Crested Tern. This is a species I was privileged to see in Indonesia on a birding trip with Ian Ellis 18 months ago. It was an honour to meet him for the first 􏰀me and I did eventually men􏰀on to him that between us, we had seen every known species of seabird in the world. He managed a smile, thankfully, safe in the knowledge that he had seen at least twice as many of the world’s seabirds as my pathe􏰀c total.
One thing that concerned me during the trip was the spread of bird flu to the region. It had taken hold among the Fur and Elephant Seals on South Georgia, such that we were unable to land guests at most places. By the 􏰀me I had le􏰁, it was star􏰀ng to take a hold among the King and Gentoo Penguins there and was responsible for the deaths of at least 3% of the breeding popula􏰀on of Wandering Albatrosses at one carefully monitored loca􏰀on. Have we not done enough damage to our Albatrosses without introducing this terrible virus as well? It remains to be seen how hard it will hit the nes􏰀ng seabirds in this region. Their popula􏰀ons will bounce back, but I know that for the Wandering Albatrosses and their low reproduc􏰀ve capacity, their recovery will not take place in my life 􏰀me.
While I have been galivan􏰀ng, the GBC commi􏰂ee has been busy, in par􏰀cular with early booking for the Grand Get Together in 2025. As you will be aware, we were
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