BIRD ISLAND

From spring on, the show is much further towards the mouth. The Bird Island becomes a large spawning ground from April onwards. Terns, royal caspians, grey headed gulls, mocking gulls parade and lay their eggs. In late May and early June, the chicks start to burst their shells. Landing on the island at this time is like entering a Hitchcock atmosphere. Hundreds of birds fly all around you, sometimes less than a metre away, and squeak relentlessly. Ornithologists have counted more than 70,000 of them!