Sesimbra and Sines, busy fishing harbors south of Lisbon on the way to the Algarve. Never before did we see so many seagulls in one place. Luckily, the gulls did not fight our drone.
Tag Archives: Birds
Cormorants
Cormorants (Kormorane) are fish-eaters and excellent divers, some have been found to dive as deep as 45 metres. They have relatively short wings due to their need for economical movement underwater, and consequently have the highest flight costs of any flying bird. These were observed at the Islands of Cies, National Park Galicia, but they range around the world, except for the central Pacific islands. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cormorant)
Hunting for Fish
When crossing the Channel and sailing in Britanny, quite often we encountered the northern gannet (Basstölpel, Morus bassanus) far away from land. It is native to the coasts of the Atlantic Ocean and breeding in Western Europe. They search for food during the day, generally by diving at high speed into the sea. Birds that are feeding young have been recorded searching for food up to 320 km from their nest. They dive for fish from between 11 and 60 m. (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_gannet)
The common tern (Fluseeschwalbe, Sterna hirundo) we observed at the river Odet at Marina Benodet, South Brittany. They fed by plunge-diving for fish in the river. When seeking fish, they flied head-down. They circled or hoverd before diving.
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