Some of our coastal birds are easy to identify while others can be a bit perplexing. Most beachgoers know the Seagull (real name is Silver Gull) which is famous for snatching and devouring your chips at the beach.  But there are a couple of other Gulls, slightly larger, which can be easily mistaken as the same bird species. They are the Pacific Gull which is reasonably common along our stretch of coast, and the far less common Kelp Gull. But even birds within the one species can look different depending on the maturity of the bird! So here’s a little guide to help you, just in case you thought you had found a rare Skua or wayward Albatross on the beach!

‘Expect the unexpected!’ A front of wild storms and a very brief period of hot weather in our neck of the woods threw a ‘spanner into the works’ recently. No power, no communications! But the natural world went about it’s daily business without disruption, seemingly unaffected and unaware by what was going on in our ‘ecosystem’, continuing to do the important work of rewilding our environments, pollinating, reproducing and disposing of our waste … the perfect natural system that hasn’t got too smart for itself!

A slightly different Cape Chatter this time around. We follow the nesting stages of a couple of stunning native bees (Megachile) which have finally taken to my ‘bee hotel’ in the garden. While sceptical at first, they do work! More sobering is the state of the current Hooded Plover breeding season on the nearby beaches. I have provided some data that gives you an idea of the challenges they face in trying to successfully produce a fledged (flying) juvenile. Sometimes they get very close to success only to be undone at the home turn. They are tough, resilient birds who keep on giving on in the face of adversity.