As autumn takes hold, and September gales arrive in Britain from the south-west, birdwatchers head to coastal headlands in the hope of seeing pelagic birds, which rarely venture close to shore.
In strong winds, often accompanied by rain, they scan the sea in search of true ocean wanderers such as the great shearwater from the south Atlantic, Sabine’s gull from the Arctic, and the aptly named storm petrel. Weakened by their efforts to head back out to sea, these tiny birds – barely larger than a house martin – often fall victim to predatory gulls if they have been blown towards the coast.
