Blogger: Adam Murray, Communications Officer
I am often nostalgic. The other day we went to the seaside at Cromer. We had fish and chips, took in the sea breeze, gobbled up a rum and raisin ice cream or two, enjoyed the pier and eyed up the helter-skelter. This is how I remember the seaside being as a kid, I like it that way and want it to be like that when my little man is a dad. A quintessential part of a coastal day out for me is all the wildlife you can find along the way, from the soaring gulls to the underwater inhabitants of the rock pools. They are the key ingredients to my family day out – to be without them would be like going on a day out to London without Big Ben protruding the skyline, like a trip to Blackpool without the kiss-me-quick hats, fun in the Peak District without supping a beer in a pub after a long walk.
The sea birds that are the mobile voyeurs of our days out at the beach are those key individuals that show us how life out at sea is really panning out. Unless you are one of our fearless fishermen we rarely get a chance to see what is going on out there in the big blue yonder. Unfortunately, for some birds life is not so great at the moment and hasn’t been for a while. “Around most of the UK, the sand eels that kittiwakes and other seabirds eat are just not there anymore and chicks are starving to death. So much of our marine life, above and below the waves, is disappearing because it's under increasing pressure from human activities. But it doesn't have to be like this.”
Safeguard our seabirds by visiting our website and making your voice heard. Are you going to the coast this weekend? If you are, think about the seaside without the wildlife – now that would be a sad sad day out.