I'm back from a short trip to the birder's Mecca of Helgoland. The past two springs, a Black-browed Albatross has frequented the Gannet colony there so I decided to spend a few days on the island, a place I'd always wanted to visit, in the hope it returned again. This year, however, the albatross has been wandering all over the place and seems to be spending more time on the island of Sylt than on Helgoland, where it was last seen the day before my arrival.
The ferry crossing from Cuxhaven was uneventful, with very few birds until Helgoland harbour came into sight, when I saw the first Gannets and Guillemots. Once settled in, I made a beeline for the famous Lummenfelsen (above), with its rows of nesting Gannets, Kittiwakes and Guillemots, after which the cliffs are named. I also located some Razorbill and Fulmars, both of which also nest in small numbers, before completing a loop of the whole island in around two hours. The next morning, I first explored the bushes of Mittelland close to my accommodation where an immature Common Rosefinch was singing, as was an Icterine Warbler, with a Swift and a Hobby on migration. I spent a lot of time taking pictures of the extremely photogenic Gannets, some of which are so close you can almost reach out and touch!
In the afternoon, another birder told me the albatross was back on Sylt and was thus expected to return to Helgoland either that evening or the following morning so, after dinner, I held at two-hour vigil at its favourite spot close to the island's trademark stack of Lange Anna (below) waiting for it to arrive. It didn't, of course, but I did spot my first Shag and watched a Kestrel being harassed by the local wagtails until it headed out to sea.
