Kittiwakes and growing chicks

This afternoon I have time to relax; with a full round of sites completed yesterday I only needed to check a few Guillemots and Razorbills whose chicks have reached the 15 day 'success' mark; it is a satisfying time when I can begin to reduce the number of birds I am watching, leaving the large chicks, now smart and mostly down-free, to make their final jump into the sea under the guidance of their parents.  One evening I intend to head down to High Cliff to see this fledging event; in calm conditions the chicks are cojoled from the ledge, by nudges from their mothers, and calls from their fathers on the water far below.  Photos and description to follow when they begin to jump in large numbers!

Kittiwake with small chick at South Stream

Around the island the dead heads of the Bluebell swathes have long since been obliterated by a rising tide of bracken.  This is getting tall in some areas, despite being burnt off in others by the frequent high winds and cold temperatures we have experienced this year.  There is a humid almost jungle-like feel to the South Stream research path, with Water Dropwort, campion, bracken and the occasional Common Male fern providing luxuriant cover, and hiding rabbit burrows from the unwary walker.

The Kittiwake ringing group at South Stream

A couple of days ago I joined Dave, Annette, Phil and Lewis on a trip to ring Kittiwakes at South Stream Cliffs; the birds are taken from the cliff by a noose on a pole (which they appear oblivious to until it descends over them and they are lifted from their ledge).  The noose (which is painless to them through their thick white plumage) is quickly removed, and they are held in soft bags for ringing before being released.  They soon return to their nests, unperturbed by their experience.  It is an interesting and skilful operation to observe, and also a chance to clamber over the rocks below the cliffs, where the Kittiwakes, Guillemots and Razorbills stare down at you from their tiered ledges.




Waiting for birds to come within reach

Kittiwakes on all the cliffs now have broods of small downy chicks, grey-white with stubby wings, up to three to a nest.  Although these families appear well, my surveys so far have revealed many breeding failures, some as a result of stormy seas washing nests off the cliff-face, others where nests were never completed.  It is unclear whether the inclement weather or some other factor is to blame for this apparently poor performance.

A heavy swell endangers Kittiwakes nests at the Wick

Evening social life on the island has been revolving around the Euros, with Dave and Phil joining us from North Haven to enjoy the games, and the entertainment of trying to get cans into the recycling box without moving (which is a very hit-and-miss enterprise!).  The mood was somewhat punctured by England's exit on penalties; I am now free from the Birdlog/football clash - the usual outcome of which you can probably guess! We have also been joined by Ali, the new long term volunteer, who seems enthusiastic about her stay, and enjoyed her first reptile transect (we saw a new record of 57 slow worms!)... I will attempt some reptile photos in the coming days...