I WAS going to write something about our seabird colonies at Troup Head and Fowlsheugh, and how well they are doing this year - however, my colleague Kirsty has beaten me to it!
See what she has to say about a recent visit to Troup Head here!
Details of how to get to our cliff-top reserves are on their respective web pages - Troup Head and Fowlsheugh. Although the main breeding season for the guillemots, puffins and razorbills is just about over, there is still activity on the ledges, and the gannets at Troup Head are likely to be around until mid-October. Be aware that the grass on the path is quite long, as it is part of an agro-environment scheme encouraging wildlife on field margins and headlands; if you're visiting after rain or heavy dew, waterproof trousers are advised!
Although we haven't got the final figures yet, it looks like it's been a great year for our beleaguered seabirds - the kittiwakes have had their best numbers of young ever, and auk numbers are up quite dramatically since the last full colony survey three years ago. We'll let you have a bit more detail when the final figures are in.
Razorbills in all their glory - Andy Hay (rspb-mages.com)