... three very lovely (well, the parents think so anyway) babies. Weight and sex unknown.
We have been watching this particular pair of shags for well over a month now, ever since we spotted them building a nest and mating. Three eggs then appeared and we are delighted to announce that all three eggs hatched last weekend. I was spending a long weekend in N. Ireland and was admiring the lovely black guillemots in the harbour in Bangor on Friday when the text message I had been waiting for came through. "We have lift-off - first egg has hatched!"
We are very lucky to be able to watch this new family very closely through our cliff-side camera with images showing live on the screen in the visitor centre. Today we've had good views of the chicks being fed and look forward to watching them grow over the next couple of months. It's a privilege to have such insight into their lives and you can come and share this with us. Of course we have two cameras out there and today the other camera has given us a ring-side seat for the fencing matches between the guillemots who seem to be defending their territories and finally settling down to the breeding season.
So, even when you don't fancy a ramble around the reserve there's still plenty to see courtesy of our cliff cams. Come and meet the new family!
Copyright: Kaleel Zibe (rspb-images.com)