Derelict and Deserted?

In the middle of the grey and moody Severn Estuary, the buildings are crumbling and the battlements are empty. There are stories of monks, and cholera, and the ghosts of the long forgotten causing mischief.  From a distance, it may look empty but this place is anything but deserted. 

Aside from the rare plants, slow worms and unusual human inhabitants, the island is packed with sounds and smells. If you stray off the beaten track, the air erupts into life, and large determined creatures fill the air, with shrieking cries whizzing past your head. 

This is Flat Holm Island and it is the nesting site of thousands of lesser black-backed gulls and herring gulls. 

This image is one of 1500 photographs I took on friday morning, and within this shot is probably a thousand nests. With the Cardiff Harbour Authority and the Flatholm ringing group, I am helping to map the nest distributions and model the vegetation to help inform the ongoing management of this challenging place. This image was taken at 75m from ground level with the majestic Inspire 2, a rather large and well-equipped drone. The gulls were quite accommodating on this trip and didn’t seem to notice the drone quietly snapping their home from the sky. There was one single gull who wasnt so keen. With about £5k under my (remote) control, I was keen to avoid any altercations and had to abandon the survey a couple of times to keep a good distance from this curious beast.

The next time I go, I will be trialing the use of a thermal camera to see if we can count the gulls in the dark. I hope the gulls wont mind that either.

As an aside, whenever I go to Flatholm, I camp. I camp because of some of the stories I have heard about the less conspicuous inhabitants. I'd sooner sleep with the gulls than 'old Pete' and his meddling.