By Emma Abel
I started the day carrying out Puffin productivity monitoring at Jenny’s Cove. The Colony is still quiet at this time of year with 74 counted on the cliffs.
Enjoying the view!
It was exciting to see lots of Puffin pairs billing outside of their burrows, bonding at the start of the breeding season. A few individuals had beaks full of grass, carrying the nesting material back to their burrows preparing for an egg. I also spotted an individual with interesting colouring arriving onto the colony. Its head and back feathers were a light brown, most likely due to a lack of pigmentation called Leucism.
Leucistic Puffin
I then joined Anna for the Seabird Station as today was the first day since 31st March that day visitors have been over to the island. The weather had started to turn grey and wet but visitors did make the journey, determined to see the promised Puffins! We chatted to lots of people, showing them the seabirds through the scopes set up at the top of Jenny’s Cove. For some it was their first Puffin sighting, so it was great to get to share in their excitement. Various Fulmar pairs are settling in on the cliffs, re-establishing their territories and defending them from intruders.
Get off my ledge!
Additional interesting bird visitors included a Whimbrel seen flying past Jenny’s Cove, a Stock Dove at Pondsbury and 2 Pied Flycatchers, one at Quarter Wall Copse and another near Goat island.