We were delighted when we spotted the first fluffy grey razorbill chicks on the cliffs of Rathlin Island on 15 June. This is the same date as the previous earliest recorded hatching date at this colony.
Chicks that hatch early are generally considered to belong to good quality parents but for one, this was certainly not the case. Firstly, the brooding adult fell off its ledge taking the chick with it. Luckily both had a soft landing on a patch of grass. However, as soon as both settled down, a lesser black-backed gull came along, scared the parents away and quickly gobbled up the chick. The majority of razorbill chicks have survived the first traumatic weeks of life and parents are frantically providing them with mouthfuls of juicy sandeels, just like you see in the classic 'puffin with fish' photos. One parent was so keen to take advantage of the abundant fish that it even tried to feed a bill-full to an egg! The chick hatched the next day.
The first guillemot chick was seen on 19 June which was 10 days earlier than last year. Most guillemot chicks are being fed small fish from the cod family as well as sprats and herrings.
Despite everyone assuming that most kittiwakes are nesting later this year, with many still building nests only last week, the first kittiwake chick was seen on exactly the same day as last year (27 June).