4 October 2019

We receive and gladly publish some notes by a botanist (DBA of Sapienza Univesirtà di Roma).

"After having got into shearwater monitoring by chance last July, I was very pleased to accept a new involvement in the monitoring activities of "The Big Five Marine Birds" project this September. As usual, fieldwork reveals nice surprises…
In July I went to Zannone mainly to collect data on the Erica multiflora maquis and to search a small fern seen in May, but, surprisingly, while reaching the locations of the shearwater nests, I found some excellent stands of Euphorbia dendroides maquis. This time, while still searching for further populations of the small fern, I explored areas of the island I did not know, together with Ferdinando Corbi.
The meeting with the shearwater chicks has been more exciting, if possible, than the first time I looked one adult into the eyes... This time I held one chick in my hands!
Pullets already occupy most of the nests in Zannone, which is rat-free since 10 years, and this is very promising also for the PonDerat project.
To watch holm oaks oppose to gravity over the steep slopes of the island and E. dendroides individuals leaf out at the end of summer, to touch the trunks of holm oaks and feel trees breathing, to hear the shearwater sing along with the sea sound, to swim with many unknown types of fishes, to walk around the border of the vegetation on the perimeter of the island, and to be overwhelmed by the beauty of new views across the sea... all this can happen to a naturalist once in the field!"