Mega seawatch begins

A three-month vigil, off the coast of Cornwall, aims to help Europe’s most endangered seabird, the Balearic Shearwater.

The SeaWatch SW survey begins tomorrow (15 July), starting at 5.30am at Gwennap Head, Porthgwarra, Cornwall. Continuous watches will run daily until 15 October, staffed by a team of experienced observers. Records will be kept of all migratory seabirds and other marine wildlife that pass by.

The coordinator of the project, Russell Wynn will man the watchpoint for the first 16 days and then hand over to Ken Shaw. As well as seabird experts, there will also be shark observers to watch for Basking Sharks, Ocean Sunfish and other marine animals. All visitors are welcome!

Daily highlights of sightings will be passed on to Birdguides and detailed daily logs, with photos and video, will be posted on the project website.

SeaWatch SW would also like to receive records of any sightings of Balearic Shearwater from anywhere in the UK during 2007 - please send these to Birdguides.

The Seawatch SW project is supported by a number of major conservation and scientific organisations, including the National Oceanography Centre - Southampton, the RSPB, and the Marine Conservation Society.

Photo: Balearic Shearwater by Tom Brereton (Marinelife)