Thursday 6th July comments: The seabird season has been moving along nicely and as
reported on the blog on 25 th June, the Guillemot and Razorbill chicks have been jumping and
leaving the island.
At just 20-21 days old, these young chicks are called down from the tops of the cliffs
(regardless of the height of cliffs) and despite not being fully winged, they take a leap of faith
and jump hence their name as 'Jumplings'. Thereafter the dad leads the chick far out to sea
(to the Wee Bankie or Dogger Bank) where the chick will be cared for by their dad until they
are old enough and strong enough for independence. It may be a brutal start to life (jumping
100m at just 20 days of age) but it is a very successful strategy which works for both
Guillemots and Razorbills.
So this has been going on since late June and on Tuesday night conditions were perfect, with
calm seas and warm weather allowing thousands of birds to jump. The noise and excitement
around the cliffs in the early evening was magical as youngsters were leaping, heading out
and away with dad. It's a strange time on the island as it's great to watch but also sad that the
Guillemot and Razorbill season is over. We still have plenty on the cliffs but it won't be long
until the cliffs fall silent for another summer. The lifer and times of our seabird colonies.
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