Close encounter with Seabirds

Anyone starting to get interested in birds should start with a visit to a seabird colony. In Shetland we are fortunate to have several large ones, the best at Sumburgh, Noss and Hermaness but also lots of smaller ones but just as interesting

Puffins always draw a lot of attention and rightly so, they are so interesting to watch and are very colourful. It looks like they may be having a good breeding season for a change with a good number bringing in fish, mostly Sandeels

When you get close up these little birds are even more amazing, look at the stitching around the beak, only an expert could do that.

How different they are in winter when they shed the colourful beak and take on a darker, dirtier look. But then most people wouldn't be out in the north sea where they are found during the dark winter months.

I have only found one dead Puffin on the beach I survey which is good news

Pufflings are just about ready to fly, these come out late in the evening before they jump off the cliffs, some 600 feet high up. Parents then guide them out to sea away from predators such as Skuas

Fulmars can be found through Shetland, some on inland cliffs and even nesting on the ground on Mousa.

They hardly make a nest so it was interesting to see the above Fulmar tackling a piece of wood, surely not to use in a nest.

Please check out my other blogs

shetlandsky.blogspot.co.uk
ww2preserved.blogspot.co.uk  (about Shetland during WW2 and what can be seen now)
shetlanddream.blogspot.co.uk

Arctic Terns

You just have to admire the Arctic Tern, it travels more than 22,000 + mile a year as it flies from the Antarctic to Shetland and back each year, seeing more daylight than any other animal.

The Guardian newspaper claims that an Arctic Tern returning to the Farne islands in England clocked up  59,650 miles in one year, the longest migration ever. As Arctic terns can live up to 30 years of age they will clock up thousands of miles

Tern colonies in Shetland have been suffering for many years as adult birds have failed to find sufficient sandeels. The last two years have been better but so far this year i have only see a few terns with small fish- not a good sign.

Sea birds always like to bathe in fresh water and terns are no exception. Places such as Grutness, Scatness & Spiggie give plenty of opportunity and the birds gather together for safety

In 1980 a study (Bullock & Gomersall) revealed that there was 32,000 arctic terns in 369 colonies in Shetland. Numbers in 2014 are thought to be around 43% less than in 1986, for instance on Mousa in 2015, 300 Arctic Terns were present but on 20 pairs attempted to breed

On Noss in 2016, 72 nest had been recorded , the most in a decade. Only 5 chicks survived due to heavy predation from Skuas and gulls.

With 73% of Arctic terns concentrated in the Northern Isles , Shetland is an important place for all seabirds with 21 species breeding

Although this report does not contain information on Arctic Terns it is well worth a read

https://www.soteag.org.uk/files/2017/03/2016-SOTEAG-seabird-Monitoring-Report.pdf

This contains information on the beached bird survey i take part in

My other blogs etc you may be interested in

shetlandsky.blogspot.co.uk
shetlanddream.blogspot.co.uk

www.amazingshetland.co.uk

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Small numbers of young

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Recently news came out from Noss that only 146 pairs of Kittiwakes are nesting this year down from 179 pairs last year but 20,000 pairs in 1970. This is different to the Farne Islands and Isle of May where they are increasing.

With a large shoal of Sand eels found in Bressay sound last week it was also good to see that a good number of Arctic Terns are bringing in sand eels for their young, I counted 11 young terns from the road at Grutness, although numbers of adult birds are well down on previous years. Also here Ringed Plover and Oystercatcher (2 pairs ) with one young each and several Common Gull young.

In the bay three eider broods of only one young, which is very poor but many young seem to be taken either by Skuas or gulls. On the cliffs at Compass Head a good number of Fulmar and around 50 Guillemot, a dozen Black Guillemot and a hand full of Puffin.

It was sad to see three dead Gannet at Grutness and the back of the tern colony, these usually do well on Noss. Locally my beach survey at Sandsayre resulted in no dead birds. Also in Sandwick a flock of 38 Lapwing was possibly a post breeding flock, as was a flock of 78 Curlew near Aith. The field beside our house the grass has been cut and is now attracting around 100 Starling, Curlew (4) Oystercatcher (28) Rock Dove (6) Herring gull (6) Common Gull (6) Herring Gull (12)Sparrow and Blackbird

We did see young Common Sandpipers out in the west mainland, these birds are not common with only a handful of breeding sites.

Oystercatcher are still looking after young, this bird was doing a distraction display as we arrived and continued to do it after leaving. As I photographed from the car it was more likely that it was trying to lure the gulls away which sat close by.

It was good to find a pair of confiding Twite on the moors, these delightful little birds are always good to see at any time of year

Killer whales are now been seen around the north of Shetland, although we still haven't seen Killers in the isles. The latest sightings came from Lerwick early morning, others have been seen around Whalsay and Eshaness, you just have to be in the right place at the right time