Another Eider sequence.......

We were having a meeting out by the Mouse House because the sun was shining. It was a very pleasant place to discuss  up and coming projects. As we went through our agenda our attention was attracted by an Eider with six hatched youngsters. The mother was clearly determined to get through the wall. Unfortunately she was able to get up the step but none of her youngsters managed it!

 She tried several times to tempt them up but they ended up in a duckling pile at the bottom of the step

 

We tried putting a step in for them. But instead of another attempt they decided to sit down with the islands most celebrated Eider, Toilet Duck. She is named because she nests year after year outside the doors to the toilet. She is a firm favourite with visitors as she's often the first Eider to be seen by the tourists!

The ducks did not really take to each other and Toilet duck took to pecking the youngsters

 

But the youngsters really took to toilet duck!

Mummy moved back in to take the children back from her foster mum. One of the ducklings had actually got underneath Toilet duck but got moved on. There was no sign of the teamwork that I'd recorded down at Horse Hole the other day. I waited for a while but had to see the Rib Osprey off so I never found  out whether the Eider got up the step.

Toilet Duck is due to hatch any day. hopefully she'll treat he offspring with a bit more kindness!

Ring of Steel

There are many hazards for Eider ducklings. They are born very small and vulnerable. Up to a thousand Eiders nesting around the Isle of May NNR. Gulls are the biggest danger to the ducklings and eggs of Eiders.  I captured this sequence of shots demonstrating a few of the techniques that eiders have adopted to help defend their young.

This Greater Black-backed Gull takes an interest in this creche of Eiders. See how a group of females are working together to protect the young, forming a 'ring of steel.'

An adult breaks away from the group and starts to throw her head back  and calling, threatening the gull.

She then plonks herself down forming a barrier between the rest of the group and the gull

The gull attempts another attack from the front but is driven away by the adult at the front

This group got safely down to the ditch at Horse Hole where they could see shelter. The gull gave up shortly afterwards It is a great demonstration of teamwork by these birds. I hope they made safe passage over to the Fife coast!

The first of many - eider ducklings

The first 3 ducklings hatched.

The engine room ducks eggs were eaten by a gull.

The eider season is in full swing on the island. Most of the females seemed to have paired up and are busy incubating now. Down on the night club dance floor (the loch) the males are busy pursueing fewer and fewer females and are displaying more and more frantically, just as if the last song is being played.  But one female has caught us on the hop by appearing on the loch with her 3 ducklings about a week before we were expecting to see hatched broods.  She will take those ducklings off across 6 mikles of water to the Fife Coast where there is better feeding as soon as she can.
And once clutch hasn't made it. The engine room duck (named as she sits right outside the engine room) left her nest and the unatttended eggs were taken by a gull. We don't know if she was frighted off by visitors getting too close or left for another reason but it is a good example of why it is so important to stick to the paths and give these beautiful birds a bit of space when they are on the nest.
At the end of the month we will be counting all the eiders on the island and so have a better idea of how they are doing.