It seems that in most years, I start off feeling hopeful for our seabirds having a good breeding season but end up feeling a bit blue. Unfortunately, it's looking like a poor year for our seabirds in 2011.
On Mousa, the low numbers of Arctic terns that have arrived aren't doing much, Arctic skuas aren't particularly holding territory and it just feels quieter. Tom Jamieson, who runs Mousa Boat Trips, and I were recollecting the wonderful summer of 2009 when Mousa Sound was white with birds - Arctic terns feeding on the surface, gannets plunging in, auks galore. On the crossing last Friday, I saw only a handful of guillemots and razorbills and one gannet and a glimpse of one porpoise.
At Sumburgh, there aren't many puffins to be seen that often. Admittedly, this isn't the best time for large numbers (many are on eggs and the non-breeders aren't back yet), but we'd expect a bit more activity. On our "Puffins and People" event on Sunday, there were hardly any puffins to be seen (or I only saw four puffins around the viewing point where I was stationed, each coming from the burrow for a stretch. On the positive side, we're more than half way to hatch day for our puffincam family. We'll keep our fingers crossed for them.
Martin and Mick of SOTEAG/Aberdeen University study many of the seabirds around Shetland. Martin's guillemot plot suffered 90% loss of eggs in early May. If the first egg is lost, guillemots can realy and by 23rd May, the first pairs which had lost theur egg relayed. By 28th May, 70% had relayed. The first chicks are due to hatch in the next couple of days. So, we'll keep our other fingers crossed for them.
Mick tells me that a lot of the shags have abandoned their nests. I don't remember that happening before. Some of the older, more experienced birds are hanging in there on their eggs, and a couple of nests have had chicks for a week. Some of the kittiwakes are on eggs, but not all of them. On his recent visits to Burra and Whalsay (western and eastern islands respectively), it looked poor for kittiwakes, with no kittiwakes on eggs on Burra and not a kittiwake to be seen on Whalsay. On the plus side, the Yell colony which Mick studies looks more promising. So, we'll keep our fingers crossed for them.
I was speaking with Dave from Handmade Fish last night. Apprently the fish like haddock aren't finding that many good sized sandeels, and are therefor not a good size themselves.
Well, sorry to be delivering poor news. Things may improve. Don't let me put you off visiting seabird colonies! No matter what is going on under the sea, a visit to Sumburgh Head or Mousa always offers an incredible experience. Yesterday for example, five killer whales were right next to the cliffs! Our Date With Nature is open 11am til 4pm every day, so you can visit Puffincam in the historic engine room. Twite are lovely too.