By Emma Abel
This morning Greg headed out to monitor the Guillemot plot and arrived to a slight surprise. The ledges that have been so chock full of birds were almost entirely empty. Now, this is the time of change in the seabird world as the chicks have been fattened up with Sand Eels over the last couple of weeks and are ready to make the treacherous jump down into the sea and begin their final development into an adult out on the open ocean, accompanied by their father. Therefore, the sight of just one single chick left on the plot should have been no surprise, but it was still a shock to have such a visual reminder that the season is coming to an end. Now it is time for Autumn migration to begin!
A very empty Guillemot ledge by Greg Lee
Over on the East, Jessie was counting the Fulmars at Gannet’s Rock where they saw the first couple of downy chicks appearing on the ledges. They were also accompanied by a young Peregrine Falcon getting a good look at both Jessie and the Fulmars. Today was a good day for spotting Peregrines across the island as many adults were out with their fledged young with the distinctive calls heard from the office in the village. Eleanor spotted a group of four over at the Quarry later in the evening.
Juvenile Peregrine at Gannets Rock by Jessie Dermody
Another raptor sighting was from Thomas, who spotted a possible Hobby chasing the Swallows and Swifts over Barton Field. Unfortunately, there was quite a glare off the sea to get a definite ID; thinking initially that it was a Peregrine, he then noted that it was quite small and was being mobbed by the Hirundines – a common sight when Hobbies are around. However, it may have been a young Peregrine trying its luck with the Swallows.
As the Auks are rapidly disappearing from the cliffs, we decided to head to Jenny’s Cove this evening to see if we could glimpse any jumplings in action. It was a beautiful clear evening with the cove bathed in the golden light of the setting sun. Puffins were looking extra beautiful scattered down the grassy slopes and suddenly more visible on the large rocky face where they are often hidden among the Guillemots. A usually cacophonous section of coast, the cliffs were strangely quiet tonight. Instead of the constant gargling noises of the adults, the loudest calls came from chicks, a distinctive high pitched squeak that in some cases echoed all the way up from fledged chicks in the water down below. We managed to spot one Razorbill chick with its father, that had already made most of its way down to the rocks near the base of the cliff, when they both jumped into the water and swam off together into the sunset. A couple of Great Black-Backed Gulls were also on the prowl, the remaining chicks extra vulnerable without the safety of a full colony.
A sunset Auk watch at Jenny's Cove by Greg Lee