Regular viewers of puffincam may have noticed a change. Images from the outer camera were a bit wonky so we set about sorting it out. Promote Shetland took on the services of Tim Bentley to install the technology to bring the puffin cameras to our screens. He popped down a couple of days ago to work out what the problem was. It turns out that the camera cable had been gnawed, probably by a rabbit, and the wires were exposed.
The camera has been replaced with a similar model, which has a slightly different depth of field. Unfortunately, water gets in a bit and it has been raining and raining and raining so the image is rather poor. Apologies for this. It improves when the sun gets on to it. Whilst in the area, Newton used the opportunity to clean the inside camera of salt and dust. Around three minutes after Newton and Tim left the area, an adult puffin returned to the chick.
This is the first year of puffincam, and we are learning lessons about technology and, of course, puffins. Just this morning, the chick was victim of another attack. An adult puffin was witnessed coming into the burrow and viciously pecking and squeezing the chick, then wandering out. We had no idea that this sort of thing would ever happen. The chick appears to be OK at the moment.
As much as we would like to, we cannot watch the whole time. So it is lovely (and useful) that we get emails from people about puffincam about things like preening and feeding times, and that the chick eats centipedes off the wall of the burrow. Thanks to everyone who has been in touch or visited the Date With Nature and shown their support, both through words and donations.
Rob has been continuing with his puffin monitoring. We begun this monitoring programme in 2009, when Rob kept an eye on over 100 burrows to work out breeding success. By this time in 2009 he was seeing puffin chicks at burrow entrances. There's been none seen so far (although conditions have been too poor for much monitoring in the last few days). Rob has seen chicks being pulled out of burrows by hooded crows. We do not expect our puffin to fledge before the 20th of July having hatched on the 17th June . Keep watching!
If you enjoy reading about our reserves, take a look at Hannah Watson's blog. For her PhD, Hannah is studying Mousa's storm petrels. She and her assistant Julie have not had the most summery of weather to undertake fieldwork. It's interesting stuff.
All the best from a November-like Shetland.