A wet and windy day at the Mull... and sad news - the kittiwake chicks that we had such high hopes for (yes the same one as I blogged about 5 days ago, plus younger sibling), dissappeared half way through the day. The parent kittiwake seemed as baffled as us, all afternoon she/he kept looking around her empty nest for the missing ones. No sign of the mate either this afternoon. It's a bit of a mystery, and Eleanor and I feel a bit guilty for taking our eyes off the camera to do some essential painting of the visitor centre - although of course we couldn't really have done anything to prevent the dissappearance.
On a happier note, the kittiwake directly to the right of the former family is now sitting on a chick! Hopefully this one will fare better than the others.
Mixed news too from the Scare Rocks (our seabird island, 6 miles offshore) - Andrew, our Galloway Reserves Manager, sailed out there yesterday, and came back reporting a healthy chock-a-block gannet population, with hundreds of chicks ranging from egg-stage to giant-fluffy-monster-stage. Hooray! But he also reported fishing nets and lines covering the island, trailing in long loops off ledges, and clogging up nests. The gannets bring in beakfuls to build their nests, and then gannet and guillemot chicks get caught up and tangled in them. Andrew had to cut chicks out of the mess, some dead, some alive, some missing limbs. Fishers take note, and please do all you can to prevent your nets and lines ending up in the sea.
Hannah