The Rathlin colony is really busy with lots of seabird noise and smells! Razorbills have been fledging in large numbers. We were lucky enough to see one chick jumping off the cliff onto the rocks below, fluttering its wings and diving into the water where it met its parent and swam away. Both razorbills and guillemots have produced plenty of chicks this year and 'pufflings' (fledgling puffins) have also been spotted at the mouths of their burrows. All fledglings wait for darkness to fall before taking to the waves. They do this to avoid predators such as large gulls and ravens.
Kittiwake chicks here have some way to go before they will fledge. They spend around 40 days at the nest and even come back after taking their first few flights. Most chicks are still quite small and fluffy. Some are being taken by predators but there is no evidence of starvation which was a big problem for these birds last year. I'm hoping the majority fledge safely this year.
More soon! Lorraine