Chicks Special...

We are over half way through the breeding season but there is still lots to see around the Isle of May NNR. Lot's of balls of fluff are still to be seen all over the island.

Eider Ducklings are doing well on the loch

An Arctic Tern chick wedges itself between rocks in an attempt to camoflage

 This little Arctic Tern chick has only hatched recently

This Tern chick likes to run around at the feet of May Princess passengers while they disembark to boat

Pied Wagtails are still producing young. They are one of the two regular breeding songbirds on the island

The Lesser Black-backed Gulls looking over their two chicks

A Puffling is stuck in the vegetation. This bird was released at dusk

Plump Kittiewake chicks near the South Horn 

A Guilliemot chick sits in the shade of it's parent

                          One of the dozen or so Oystercatcher chicks that are around the Island

I managed to get a few close up shots of the Island Longtails. Not a chick but still quite cute!

Au revoir Flora....

 Flora waving to the assembled crowd

 The boat heads to Anstruther

 David made sure Flora left

Here's a few shots of the lovely volunteer Flora Hoban leaving on Friday. It was a dramatic exit from the island with Kirkhaven harbour mouth unusable due to the swell. She and David got off safely with the boat fantastically skippered by Colin!

Flora has been coming out to the island for 7 years and is a valued member of the team. She has worked hard painting and doing Tern watches. A good crowd was present to wave her off.

Thanks again Flora for all your hard work. Next year?

A dip in the harbour.

Well it is all change here. Today was the warmest day for a long time out on the island illustrated by the fact that most island residents were in shorts for at least part of the day. Only a few days ago we still had fires lit, were wearing thermals and hats and had to resort to a medicinal whisky each night to prevent hypothermia. Suddenly warm weather has arrived and so have the visitors.
                                       
 Being on the east coast this means a bit of fog in the mornings when the top of the mainlight kept appearing and dissappearing but once it had burnt off then things turned hot.

 The effect has been immediate as last night we had 11 moths in the moth trap compared to the 3 moths for the previous 6 weeks.

 The cliff nesting birds incubating eggs on the cliffs had to put up with the baking until their partner gave them a break. It was great to see they relieved of their duties and drop down onto the sea from their ledge and wash clean their plummage and cool down.This guillemot was panting with the heat while the razorbill below it was suffering from having a nesting ledge lower down the cliffs (raining guano).

It has also changed the researchers behaviour, phone calls can be made outside, we have even eaten tea out-side twice and ...

....tonight a (very quick) swim in the harbour.

 Anything the Farnes can do we can do as well.
It is peak seabird season with so much to see and with this weather set to hold a bit longer, its a great time to visit the island.

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!