Keeping warm

Friday 26^th April comments: As like the previous two springs, this year the month of April has been cold and it has been a slow start to the seabird breeding season.

However it is slowly moving in the right direction and on 15^th April we discovered our first sitting female Eider on the island which is now incubating eggs. Since then we’ve had one or two more nest with good numbers starting to build on the island Loch and on the sea surrounding the island (you can hear the displaying males as they try to attract a mate). Interestingly birds can actually delay their breeding season if they are not in good enough body condition but it looks like things will get back to normal very soon.

Female Eiders nest all over the Isle of May, sometimes on pathways (so you have to watch your feet when walking) and generally have a clutch of 4-6 eggs. Females will sit tight on the nest for the entire duration of the incubation period (which is approximately 26 days) and during this period females can lose 40% of their body weight and as a result have to be in good condition before nesting. Within 24 hours of the chicks hatching, the females will take the young to sea. Birds will form large crèches as young and adults from a multitude of nests will just mix as young grow bigger and stronger as they head towards independence. On the Isle of May the loch in the centre of the island is an ideal location for taking their young in the first few days. Eventually all adults and young will move off towards the nearby coastlines where chicks will be raised. Predation by large gulls is one of the main threats to the youngsters.   

Troubled waters

Wednesday 24^th April comments: It’s been a tough winter for our European Shags and its starting to show on the island. This time last year we were celebrating the hatching of the first chicks, but fast forward to this season and the first eggs have just been discovered, as mentioned in yesterdays blog.

However it’s not the delay in the season which is troubling us, but the lack of numbers. Last year we had 674 nesting pairs across the island and the breeding success was good. However in October the island and east coast in general was hit by a series of big storms (Storm Barbet and Ciaran). The storms caused damage but also prolonged heavy seas, with easterly swell making the sea turbulent for a sustained period of time. The problem for the Shags was that they found it difficult to find prey in those turbulent, churned up waters and birds suffered with many found dead over the winter months, as reported by our friends at UKCEH who study the European Shags on the Isle of May.

At present we could be looking as few as 150 breeding pairs this year on the island but the true indication will only be found when the population is counted in early June. Then we will see the impact of those storms. In the meantime, we have to hope for a good breeding season and the population to start increasing as the species needs it.  

Better late than never…

Tuesday 23^rd April comments: It may not come to anyone’s surprise that we can announce the news that we are having a late start to the seabird season. The majority of March and most of April has been dominated by northerly or easterly airflows (just how cold has it been!) and as a result bird migration has been slow to start and the seabird breeding season late to begin.

The first European Shags are now on eggs, the first were discovered by UKCEH researchers on 19^th April at the south end of the island. To put this into context the first eggs were discovered on 16^th March last year and chicks were hatching from 21^st April. So whilst we celebrate our first Shag egg this year, the species had chicks this time last year! We’ve also got some serious concerns about Shag numbers but more on that in the next day or two.

Elsewhere small numbers of Eider duck have arrived and the first sitting female was discovered on 15^th April but we still have many more to follow in the forthcoming weeks. Puffins are present, on eggs, but still plenty more to settle. On the cliffs the auks; Razorbills and Guillemots are now overdue but it will still be some time before they also settle. As usual there are no sign of any terns, as they don’t arrive until early May. Overall we’ve made positive steps forward in the seabird breeding season but it has been incredibly slow to start, but that will all change soon (we hope).

Welcome!

Tuesday 16^th April comments: On Sunday there was a very special welcome arrival to Anstruther, Fife as the town got its new £2.5 million state-of-the-art Shannon class lifeboat. The new all-weather water jet-powered Shannon replaces the older Mersey-class boat which is stepping down from service after three decades. As part of the celebration, hundreds of people lined the harbour to welcome the new arrival with water jets and a party atmosphere.

However out here on the Isle of May we were privileged to see the meeting of other lifeboats from Dunbar, Broughty Ferry, Eyemouth and more as the botas flanked the new arrival before heading into Anstruther. The video above shows the boats meeting off the east side of the Isle of May. Lifeboats play such an important role in saving lives at sea and we have received help from them in past, as they have attended accidents on the island to help casualties safely back to the mainland. For further information on lifeboats, check out the RNLI website: https://rnli.org/

And we look forward to seeing the new lifeboat up and running and working closely with the RNLI in the future.

Hoopla

Thursday 11^th April comments: It’s been another cold spell on the Isle of May (just like the previous three Aprils) but this did not stop the excitement on the birding front as on Wednesday we discovered  a very visitor; a Hoopoe! This majestic bird was discovered feeding near the ringing hut and was soon relocated feeding amongst Puffin burrows. Since then the bird has been seen feeding well around the lighthouse and is still present (for its third day).  

The bird had arrived on the back of some southerly winds as sometimes Hoopoes ‘over-shoot’ continental Europe (where they breed) and end up in the UK. The good news is that the bird will correct itself after feeding up and will head back south to hopefully breed back on the continent.

This represents the 17^th record for the island the most recent birds being in May 2023, April 2019, October 2015, April 2008 and May 2002. Bird migration has been slow to get going due to the biting cold winds but we certainly hit the jackpot with this and now we hope for even more but with a little bit of sunshine (please).

Super High Tide

Tuesday 9^th April comments: It’s been a weird and wonderful start to the new season with regards to the weather (in other words its been awful!) and yesterday we had even more fun, as we had to entertain a super high tide.

As the moon cycle is full, it results in ‘spring tides’ which brings extra volumes of water. The high tide at the island is usually between 4.8m – 5.2m in height but yesterday the tide peaked at 5.7m (which is a lot of extra water). As a result the visitor boats were moored against the high tide jetty but no one could access them due to the sea (as you can see in the photos above). Luckily everyone had disembarked by that stage so were enjoying the island but there was a slight delay in getting everyone back on until the sea retreated.

Thankfully after today we should see tides return to ‘normal’ height but we still have today to contend with. Who said islands are dull? It’s all just part of the day job…

Workout

Friday 5^th April comments: It’s been a busy period over the last month as we have gone about setting up the island ready for human and avian visitors alike. However it hasn’t come without its challenges as the weather is such a make-or-break factor to work on an island. You can have contractors booked in, equipment purchased and all ready to go and then on the big day, the weather prevents boats from sailing and that is the job called off.

Over the last month we’ve had numerous jobs cancelled, booked and cancelled again as the yo-yo effect of attempting to get people to the island has been a minefield! However we are slowly getting there and hopefully we’ll complete the task in the very near future. Tasks we’ve undertaken have included the replacement septic tank pipe (the original was washed away in Storm Barbet last October), jetty repair work, internal painting and removal of damp patches in the accommodation, chimney flu removed and replaced, new flooring in some rooms, new mattresses in accommodation and then the deep clean of everywhere. It’s been a very busy time and next week we are hoping to have the road which was also damaged in the winter storms, repaired. It’s never dull managing an island.

So we look ahead and we hope improved weather will arrive son to allow visitors to land, seabirds to return and life to get back to some normality. However this is an island and anything is possible…  

Bird Obs in action

Wednesday 3^rd April comments: With so much going on, the Isle of May has been a busy place of recent and its been great to have the islands Bird Observatory open. The work parties arrived on 23^rd March and over the two weeks since, various practical tasks and cleaning jobs have been undertaken ready for their opening on 6th April.

The bird observatory is Scotland’s oldest bird observatory, founded in 1934. The observatory is administered by a charitable trust (The Isle of May Bird Observatory and Field Station Trust) and manned by visiting volunteer observers between March and November who record and document bird migration. The Observatory was founded by a group of young Scottish ornithologists and has continued to depend on the enthusiasm of amateurs who come to the island, usually for a week at a time, to maintain observations. The accommodation, for up to 6 people, is housed within the Low Light, a former navigational lighthouse. For further information check out their website: https://isleofmaybirdobs.org/

Over the last two weeks plenty has been achieved including the redesign of the Top Heligoland Trap (used for catching and ringing passerine birds) as well as other maintenance jobs around the place. It’s been all go and its wonderful to see everyone working together, as volunteers, to achieve some great results. It’s also a very special year for the observatory as it is celebrating its 90^th birthday, but more on that to come.  

Spring has sprung!

Hawfinch – the 11th in seven years on the island, ringed and leaving its mark on the ringer!

Robin (left) and Fieldfare (right) both migrants to the island

Chiffchaff (left) and Brambling (right)

Tuesday 2nd April Comments: The season has started in so many ways as we’ve had an early Easter, a traditional April Fools joke, we are now open to visitors, the Puffins are back and we’ve even had bad weather (we almost expect this now!) However we’ve also had migrant birds as it’s that time of year… spring passage!

The most noticeable highlights included a Hawfinch which was caught and ringed yesterday; a scarce visitor to these parts although definitely increasing whilst a northern bound Osprey flew over on 30th March. Otherwise we’ve had plenty of other stuff as birds are departing and other arriving. Heading back north included Fieldfares, Redwings and Bramblings whilst those from the south arriving included Wheatear and Chiffchaffs.

It’s still early days at the moment, but this is the start of spring passage and it’s always an exciting time on the island. If you are visiting, remember to enjoy the island and its seabirds but also take in the smaller beauties, including those migrant birds utilising the place as a service station before they head on with their journies. As usual we’ll keep you posted but even better still, why not book a boat and visit!

Well maybe not…

You all guess it… it was an April Fools (again). We are glad to report that gold was never found and our reserve manager is very much staying for another season! We hope you enjoyed the fun. Now back to the serious stuff…