As regular CFZ-watchers will know, for some time Corinna has been doing a column for Animals & Men and a regular segment on On The Track... particularly about out-of-place birds and rare vagrants. There seem to be more and more bird stories from all over the world hitting the news these days so, to make room for them all - and to give them all equal and worthy coverage - she has set up this new blog to cover all things feathery and Fortean.

Wednesday 13 March 2013

Bird-borne cameras reveal gannet habits


The gannets captured more than 20,000 images, providing fresh insights into seabird behaviour. 'All birds that had a camera attached photographed a fishing boat, showing how important fishing is,' says Dr Steve Votier of Plymouth University, the study's lead author. 

'Of those a significant proportion was foraging at fishing boats, not just flying past.' The cameras, normally used for tracking pets, were originally attached facing forwards. But after failing to cope with the sheer force of the gannets' characteristic sea-dive, striking the water at speeds of more than 60 miles an hour, they had to be reversed. Previously, researchers have tried monitoring the birds from boats or with GPS location trackers. The team hoped that, by employing the cameras, they would be able to reveal a more detailed picture of the birds' behaviour and the extent to which they rely on discards.

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