Menu

Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

Displaying items by tag: black guillemots

Black guillemots have been driven out of their long-time homes around Bangor harbour - by hooded crows.
BBC News reports that the crafty crows have been raiding nesting holes throughout the harbour, and have almost eliminated this year's brood of guillemots - affectionately known as 'black penguins'.
"Often there's been the odd egg or chick which has disappeared but this year it's been extraordinary,' said black guillemot expert Dr Julian Greenwood. "It's been a virtual wipe-out."
Dr Greenwood plans to thwart the crows next year by fixing small pieces of plywood across the openings of nesting holes, keeping the predators out.
BBC News has more on the story HERE.

Black guillemots have been driven out of their long-time homes around Bangor harbour - by hooded crows.

BBC News reports that the crafty crows have been raiding nesting holes throughout the harbour, and have almost eliminated this year's brood of guillemots - affectionately known as 'black penguins'.

"Often there's been the odd egg or chick which has disappeared but this year it's been extraordinary,' said black guillemot expert Dr Julian Greenwood. "It's been a virtual wipe-out."

Dr Greenwood plans to thwart the crows next year by fixing small pieces of plywood across the openings of nesting holes, keeping the predators out.

BBC News has more on the story HERE.

Published in Marine Wildlife

The Dragon was designed by Johan Anker in 1929 as an entry for a competition run by the Royal Yacht Club of Gothenburg, to find a small keel-boat that could be used for simple weekend cruising among the islands and fjords of the Scandinavian seaboard. The original design had two berths and was ideally suited for cruising in his home waters of Norway. The boat quickly attracted owners and within ten years it had spread all over Europe.

The Dragon's long keel and elegant metre-boat lines remain unchanged, but today Dragons are constructed using the latest technology to make the boat durable and easy to maintain. GRP is the most popular material, but both new and old wooden boats regularly win major competitions while looking as beautiful as any craft afloat. Exotic materials are banned throughout the boat, and strict rules are applied to all areas of construction to avoid sacrificing value for a fractional increase in speed.

The key to the Dragon's enduring appeal lies in the careful development of its rig. Its well-balanced sail plan makes boat handling easy for lightweights, while a controlled process of development has produced one of the most flexible and controllable rigs of any racing boat.