I WAS recently able to visit the Bass Rock, off the coast near Edinburgh, to watch the gannets.

The gannet is the largest of our seabirds and has a wingspan of around six feet (nearly two metres).

I also studied common terns (pictured right) on the Farne Islands, off the coast of Northumberland.

Once the breeding is over seabirds earn their name and they spend many months bobbing on the waves or flying over the sea.

September and October are excellent months for planning a birdwatch by the sea. Before you set off to the coast you should consult a set of tide tables.

In Lancashire the best time to watch is at midday and a high tide reading of around nine metres (30 feet). There can be wonderful autumn days as you can sometimes spot quite rare birds at the same time as enjoying a picnic.

Terns are marvellous fliers. I was recently in Australia and some British terns will also spend the British winter Down Under.

Coral reefs in peril

LIFE around the coral reef of Australia could be under threat from a combination of pollution and global warming.

I have been to Australia to talk with biologists who are studying reefs around Queensland. The area is between Brisbane and Cairns, which includes the Great Barrier Reef.

Coral itself is a living organism and is beautifully coloured and the creatures seeking shelter in crevices also provide all the colours of the rainbow.

Hardy survivors of the Ice Ages

THE heights of the Cairngorms in Scotland obviously provides a huge contrast to the Great Barrier Reef. A few years ago a herd of reindeer was introduced on these cold and inhospitable mountains.

Reindeer are hardy creatures which were common in this country during and just after the Ice Ages. They became extinct because of increases in temperature and hunting. It is the only species of deer where both males and females have antlers.

The diet of Rudolf and his friends consists of mosses which they scrape away snow and ice to get at. Reindeer in Norway were once thought to be struggling because acid rain carried from Britain by the prevailing wind was destroying the mosses.

Research has since proved that acid rain has not been as devastating as was once thought and reindeer are doing very well.