Seabirds Big Blue UK

Today, we're on Tiree, one of Scotland's most stunning islands,

in the Inner Hebrides.

And we're here to celebrate the UK's astonishing variety of seabirds.

Almost eight million of them arrive in the UK every summer

from all over the world,

ready for four of the most important months of their lives.

And many of them come here.

The Hebridean islands are a hot spot for seabird spotting.

Seabirds are intrepid travellers, by nature,

and even once stationed in their colonies here,

they still take flights of up to 500km in a day.

But where are they going, and why?

I'll be joining a team of scientists

investigating how we can track a seabird's movement in real time.

It's pretty much live data,

within a few hours or so, of exactly where the bird is.

It's very exciting. It's the first time this has really been done.

And I'll be meeting the offspring of the nation's favourite seabird.

This little ball of fluff is a baby puffin,

known as a puffling.

And trust me, they're as cute as the name suggests.

And all week, we're joined by

wildlife cameraman Richard Taylor-Jones,

today on a mission to turn a feathered foe

into a feathered friend.

When we live in a world where wildlife is vanishing all around us,

how can you not enjoy the gulls?

Personally, I admire a survivor.

We'll also be joined by some familiar faces

sharing their best past experiences of marine wildlife.

Of course, these birds are here in the UK for one thing -

to breed - and so they must find food for their young.

Lots and lots of it.

One seabird famed for its appetite is the gannet.

These birds go on extraordinary journeys for their fish suppers.

In some parts of the world, a gannet will fly up to 450km a day

to bring back food for its young.

But now a new threat has started to appear in the gannets' flight path,

as Lindsey found out.

I'm heading offshore to Alderney.

This small island is home to a huge colony of gannets.

This summer, scientists are tagging them for a ground-breaking project.

But these aren't just any old tags.

The technology being used here is so advanced

that it allows the team to see everywhere the gannet goes

in real-time, for the very first time.

In the English Channel, seabird populations

have declined dramatically over the last 50 years.

But gannets are one of the few success stories.

Today, the team are hoping to catch and tag some of the birds,

and they've invited me along to help.

This is Les Etacs.

In 1940, a single pair of gannets nested here.

Now, there are over 6,000.

At this time of year, the adult gannets

are not only feeding themselves, but also their rapidly growing chicks.

To reach fish, they perform incredible plunge dives.

Holly Marshall is from the Alderney Wildlife Trust.

Their new 3G tags use the mobile phone network

to send back real-time data.

Holly, from what I can feel, there's a real buzz of excitement

around this project already.

There really is. This is the first time we've used 3G live tags

on our seabirds. I'm really excited to find out

where they're going when they're not on the rock.

What are you hoping to get back from this project?

There's proposed wind farms and tidal turbines in the Channel,

so there is the risk of collision, but also there's a risk

of interrupting the gannets' foraging path.

By tagging the birds, the scientists can get accurate maps

of the gannets' foraging trips.

This means their movements can be considered by the government

and developers before the wind farms are built.

But first, we need to make it on to the island.

It's not as easy as I made it look!

'Helmets and safety glasses guard us, in case of attack

'by these protective parents.

'In one swift manoeuvre, we have our first gannet.

'Running the project is Vicky Warwick-Evans

'from Liverpool University.'

Vicky, they're extremely impressive birds, when you're up close to them.

Where do you put the tag?

So, we put the tag on the central tail feathers,

because they hit the water with such power when they're plunge diving,

if we stuck them to the back, we'd lose the tags very quickly.

That looks like quite a big tag.

It's actually less than 2% of the body weight of the bird

so actually it doesn't really make much difference, at all.

How does it work? The bit you can see on the top is the solar panel,

so that charges the battery underneath,

and there's also a GPS chip, which has the SIM card,

so every time it comes within mobile phone range,

it'll download the last location fixes that it's collected.

It's pretty much live data, within hours or so, of where the bird is.

So, it's very exciting.

It's the first time this has really been done.

All the birds in the project have been given names,

so individuals can be easily followed online

and only one name's sprung to mind...

Hugh, this one's for you.

Ah, thanks, Lindsey.

You know, I am genuinely chuffed to share my name with a gannet.

They are, without doubt, my very, very favourite seabird. Really?

Yeah, absolutely. Definitely.

Well, that one was a stunner. And what a brilliant take-off. I know.

Actually, I've got a bit of an update for you,

because it turns out that Hugh the gannet was rather lively

and, unfortunately, he has since lost his tag...

Just the sort of thing I would do - lose my tag.

But we do have an update.

This is a map of his last recorded journey,

and you can see that he's actually a bit of a Francophile,

because he much prefers French waters to our own.

I'm not sure what that says about you, Hugh.

Well, perhaps it's just that Hugh the gannet and I

both enjoy having fine wines with our seafoods. Maybe that's it.

Now, it isn't just migrant birds like the gannet

that enjoy exploring our shores.

We also have a population of resident birds

on our coast, as well.

Waders like the oystercatcher live here all year round.

Their home is our shoreline.

Well, that's where they SHOULD be.

But oystercatchers have been adapting to our shifting seascape

and over on Scotland's east coast,

they've found other unusual homes,

as Springwatch's Iolo Williams found out a few years back.

Aberdeen's oystercatchers have abandoned the beach

and are choosing loftier places

to raise their young. Welcome to the penthouse suite.

BIRDS CALL

So, why have Aberdeen's oystercatchers

taken to the rooftops?

Alistair Duncan used to teach at this school in the city.

One day, he noticed a pair of oystercatchers

nesting on the school roof.

Back in his classroom,

Alistair tells me how this moment sparked a life-long interest.

The first nest we saw was about 1967.

There was a pair on a flat-roof school in Aberdeen

and then other pairs started to appear.

Why do you think the first pair decided to nest on these roofs?

There was a building boom in the 1960s

and a lot of roofs were very flat.

But they put gravel on the roofs, so they adopted them.

The flat roofs of the new building

were protected with a layer of gravel,

and this turned out to be crucial.

BIRDS CALL

In their natural habitat,

oystercatchers usually lay their eggs at ground level

on shingle beaches.

Nests are a simple scrape in the ground.

These gravel-covered roofs mimic the oystercatcher's

natural nesting territories on shingle beaches,

but up here, they have the added bonus of being 50ft up in the air

and that means that the eggs and the chicks

are safe from ground predators like foxes and cats

and, because of that,

high-rise nesting here in Aberdeen has really taken off.

Remarkably, over 200 pairs of oystercatchers

now nest on rooftops in the city.

They're found on many different buildings

but over the years, Alistair's noticed

that the birds favour Aberdeen's educational establishments.

And this is the reason why.

Playing fields like this are found adjacent to most of the city's

schools and colleges and they're important for the birds,

because they provide a plentiful and nutritious supply of food,

in the form of earthworms.

Although oystercatchers do occasionally eat oysters,

they'll actually feed on many kinds of invertebrates.

They also have a chick-feeding strategy

that's rare in wading birds.

They can carry food to the chicks in the nest,

instead of their chicks having to follow them to the food.

So, this allows them to raise their young on Aberdeen's rooftops.

Oystercatchers are very territorial.

Once they've found a good rooftop, they'll return there every spring.

Alistair's seen some birds come back to the same roofs

for over 20 years,

but over that time, things have started to change.

Some of the oystercatchers returning to the city now

are encountering a problem.

Over the past few years, many of the flat roofs

have been resurfaced,

and the fashion for pebbles has long gone.

But fortunately for them, Alistair has come up with a solution.

I got the seed trays from the garden centres,

half-fill them with gravel and put them on the school's roof,

and the birds adopted them very readily.

I find that amazing. You've got this whole roof,

you've just got one little bit of gravel,

and the birds will go in there? Yeah.

They're very adaptable birds. Very adaptable. Very adaptable.

These oystercatchers have now accepted Alistair's trays

as a substitute for the beach.

And because of this ability to adapt,

they're thriving, right in the heart of Aberdeen.

Nowadays, there are breeding oystercatchers in towns and cities

all over Europe, but we mustn't forget

that the trend was started here in Aberdeen, more than 50 years ago.

Over my 18 years of working with British wildlife

I've filmed a huge number of our British seabirds in great detail.

From puffins to Arctic terns,

I've enjoyed every minute spent with these beautiful animals.

But there is one group of seabirds

I've never been asked to film before.

And that's these guys - gulls.

There is no such bird as a seagull.

There are actually eight resident species of gull in the UK.

And from the giant greater black-backed gull

to the dainty kittiwake,

they vary in size and behaviour hugely.

But there is one gull in particular

we are most familiar with at the seaside - the herring gull.

We've got some classic herring gull behaviour here.

Stalking a chap trying to quietly eat his lunch.

This chap here, well, he seems to be offering them

a little bit of their lunch and that one down there got it.

But not everybody is quite so amenable to gulls.

In fact, an awful lot of people find them really, really annoying.

Well, they are annoying, because they break off your food.

Well, there's been a lot of bad things on the news.

I think they're quite dangerous.

They can be a pest.

And they pooh on you from a great height.

They live so long and there's just so many more of them.

Just every year, they seem to double in numbers.

We live in a world where many marine plants and animals

have been under huge pressure, as humans have taken over the coast.

Most species have struggled to keep up.

But a few, like herring gulls,

have been clever enough to live alongside us.

Now, when we live in a world where wildlife is just vanishing

all around us, how can you not enjoy the gulls

that have reclaimed the streets, that are fighting back?

Personally, I admire a survivor.

But I know gulls can be a pain,

especially now that they live in our towns and cities.

I've come along to meet Ed Edwards,

who has had a big problem with them in his own garden

but has found a solution, too.

Come on in. Thank you.

So, Ed, where are these problem gulls of yours?

Basically, last year, it started up on that chimney.

Where you can see I've spiked now. Yep. And what they were doing,

they were sitting up there with the chicks below

and they were swooping at us in the garden when we were sat here

eating, swooping at the dogs. And, obviously, birds' droppings.

And being a total pest, basically. The gulls are still around,

but I understand you do have another couple of ways...

Yes. ..of dealing with them.

Well, I've made this stick... Yeah. ..which is out of bamboo.

Taped together. That's a big stick. How tall is that?

That is four six-foot sticks together, bamboos together.

And, basically, what I do is, just hold it up there

and they tend to keep away.

I've also got a water cannon, for when they perch on the roof

or on the ridges. I can guess what's coming now.

Now, what we do is just shoot it up at the house like that

and it scares them off. Just like a bit of rain falling down. It is.

And it's not going to hurt them.

It's just a gentle deterrent to stay away. And it's working.

It's a case of standing your ground in your own garden.

Ed's now watched the chicks grow up

and fledge the nest in safety, without being attacked.

How do you feel about gulls now?

I don't feel they are so much of a pest,

as I've, kind of, enjoyed watching them learn to fly off.

Obviously, they are an animal and, you know, they are meant to be here.

I'm really impressed with Ed's balanced approach to gulls

who are, after all,

just being good parents trying to protect their young.

It seems he is learning to share his space with nature

and I'm really pleased about that.

You see, if you hadn't guessed it,

I think gulls have a lot going for them.

They are great survivors.

They are good at being mum and dad.

And if that's not enough, I think they're incredibly beautiful, too.

I've got a lovely large adult herring gull in front of me here.

And I can see in really close detail

those beautiful grey feathers on its back,

the bold white chest

and, of course, that striking yellow bill

with the piercing eye just above it.

These really are magnificent birds.

And if they were rare,

just imagine how many people would flock to see them.

And, as it happens, this species has decreased by 40% since the 1970s.

Herring gulls certainly aren't having it all their own way.

There are still over 130,000 of these birds in the UK.

So the days before they become rare is likely to be some way off.

But I hope it never comes to that and that, maybe,

you might like to think about them differently, too.

So, the herring gull is hanging on in there,

despite the threats that we throw at it. And you know what?

Richard's not the only person that believes they need protecting.

Under British law, in order to cull the gull,

you have to obtain a special licence first.

And gulls aren't the only tough old birds travelling our oceans.

Some seabirds have almost superhero-like qualities

of stamina and endurance.

This is a Manx shearwater.

They only come ashore at night.

They are one of the longest-lived birds in the UK.

They can live over 50 years.

Quite remarkable, considering most of those years are spent out at sea.

Just take a look at this. Wow!

It's the skull of a gannet.

And just look at that shape. It's incredible, isn't it?

It's so streamlined, just like a Concorde.

And, in fact, that shape helps minimise the resistance

as it hits the water at an incredible 100kmh,

going after those baitfish.

Not only that, it's also got air pockets inside the back of its skull

and they act as, kind of, shock absorbers,

taking out some of the pressure, as it hits the water at that speed.

It's just incredible.

And one of our seabirds actually appears to walk on water.

This is the storm petrel.

They hover just above the waves to feed

and, as their name suggests,

these delicate birds weather the sea's roughest storms.

They are found particularly around the Channel Islands,

where zoologist and Coast presenter Andy Torbet

went to meet them a few summers ago.

In the English Channel in the 1950s,

it was thought there was 10,000 storm petrels.

Today, it's less than a tenth of that number.

Increased pollution of our seas hit the storm petrel population hard.

I'm going to try and track them down.

Looks like I'll have to go the extra nautical mile or so to find them.

I'm heading to a storm petrel breeding site.

Appearing now off the bow is Burhou Island.

And that's a welcome sight for birds

that will spend the vast majority of their life out at sea

and they come back to land, on these rare occasions, to breed.

I'm joining a team of scientists, here to study the petrels.

SEAGULLS CALL

Liz. Hi.

'Heading up the conservation efforts is Liz Morgan.'

Welcome to Burhou.

'Most storm petrels won't come back till after dark,

'but a few may still be on their nests, deep in this old wall.

'Liz has a trick to find out.'

This is a storm petrel call,

that if an adult's on the nest, it should, er, reply.

SQUAWKING

You hear a little beeping noise.

Yeah, I can hear that.

Yes. Yes, that's a storm petrel click.

The chicks are probably sat there by themselves.

The adults out at sea fishing

won't come back to land while it's light,

because of predators, like the gulls.

Under the cover of darkness, that's the only time they feel safe.

That's it.

My first storm petrel.

'With baby home alone, the parents can't be far away,

'but they won't be back till night.

'As darkness falls, Liz and her colleagues set up nets

'to ring and monitor Burhou's population.'

These nets normally do very well, as the birds sweep in off the sea.

Stretched across their flight path,

these nets are specially designed to catch,

but not damage, these little birds.

'Now, we have to wait.

'And hope.

'Got one.

'And another.'

With the nets filling up nicely, Paul Veron picks the petrels out.

It's not actually doing any harm, is it?

No, they hit the net, and drop into this little pocket

and then we have to go and take them out.

Imagine that bird riding out the fiercest storms

that the oceans can throw at it.

'In all, we get 61 birds,

'a great sign for petrel population,

'which Paul now reckons is around 1,000 breeding pairs.'

'This fragile little chap

'somehow manages to survive the perils of the sea.'

You're not going to get any closer than that.

Paul, shall I release it now? Yes, please. Just on the grass.

'Designed for a nomadic life, bravely roaming the oceans,

'the storm petrel is almost helpless on dry land,

'where they stumble around, like little drunken sailors.'

One species without which no celebration of our amazing

seabirds would be complete, is the puffin.

I had my first closing encounter with these colourful clowns

a few weeks ago.

I'm heading out to where the Firth of Forth meets the North Sea -

about 20 miles, as the gull flies, from Edinburgh.

The big lump of rock behind me is the Isle of May and, at this

time of year, it's the breeding ground for over 200,000 seabirds.

The puffins arrive here in early spring to breed.

And now that summer is with us, their little pufflings -

as the young puffins are called - are getting ready to

leave their burrows and head out to sea.

I'm hoping to catch up with one or two of them before they depart.

'David Steel, reserve manager on the island,

'is the perfect man to introduce me to these birds.'

What is it about puffins that you feel so gripped by?

They're just a fantastic little bird.

There they are, this little clown of the sea, as they're described,

and you've just got to be in awe of these, you know.

They'll go out and they'll spend eight months of the year just living

out at sea - they don't see land.

And then, they come back and breed underground.

Fantastic little characters.

David, I'm sure you saw this headline a few weeks back

suggesting that, from a European perspective,

the puffin's in quite a bit of trouble? Yeah. It's really worrying.

The last sort of ten years has been a real concern for puffins.

We've seen numbers crash.

We lost 30% of our population in just five years.

What are the challenges facing puffins?

And what are the problems causing some of these population...?

Well, I've got a few concerns about a few things,

things like climate change.

But also overfishing, as well.

These birds rely purely on sand eels. That's what they feed on

at this time of year, that's what they feed their chicks,

and there's a distinct lack of them.

And it is very worrying, indeed.

'This summer, things are cautiously looking up,

'with David noticing a gradual increase in puffin numbers.

'As part of his work monitoring the population,

'he's invited me to help him ring a puffin family.'

So I might be about to see my first puffling? Fingers crossed.

Here, Hugh... is your first ever puffin chick.

Oh, my goodness! Am I allowed?

Yes, you can, absolutely.

Oh, my goodness! That is...

This is the first time this puffin chick has seen the outside world.

Oh! What a shock for it - the first thing it sees is me

and my bright yellow jacket.

He looks, to me, a long way from being able to fly.

Certainly, he's a good couple of weeks away before he's

actually ready to fledge.

Here comes the parent.

Look at this bird.

So, we're going to put a small metal ring on its leg

which is going to stay on for life.

And this metal ring has got a little identification code

unique for this bird.

So, if it's found anywhere else in the world, we will know

exactly where and when it was ringed.

A token of your affection? Indeed!

It's all part of the scientific work on here,

because these birds, these incredible little stocky birds,

can live 30-35 years.

No! In fact, the oldest is 43.

We'll put the adult back down and release him safely. OK.

'With the parent ringed, it's now the puffling's turn.'

Put it on...

Very comfortable.

And there you go, sir.

So there is the number. Number 912.

How long before you will see him back here again,

as a possible parent? Well, he's got a hearty lifestyle ahead of him,

because when he leaves here,

he's not going to see land for another three years.

He's actually just going to go and sit on the sea

for the next three years of his life.

What, just fishing and eating and growing? Fishing and growing.

And then, hopefully, come back to colonies down the east coast

and be the future of our puffin colonies.

You've got quite a story ahead of you.

Is it all right if I pop him back in? Certainly is.

Put back in there and he'll be delighted to go back home.

In you go, fella. How many more of these have you got to ring?

SHARP INTAKE OF BREATH A few hundred more to go, Hugh.

What, today? DAVID LAUGHS

'With the tide turning, it's time for me to go.

'But David's not letting me off that easily.'

David, what a day.

Fantastic. Thank you very much, Hugh.

But your job's not finished, because I've got one final special job.

We have a puffin fledgling which got lost last night. You're kidding?

Ended up in the house. So, if you could go a few hundred yards

off the island and release it

into the big wide world, that would be very much appreciated.

Extra passenger onboard, Roy. Are you all right for that?

Right, fella.

OK. So this is a fledged puffin, no clown beak for him.

He's just...ready to get in the water for the very first time.

Not quite how it's meant to be, but given that he got lost,

this is now his best chance.

OK, here we go. Off you go.

Wow!

Oh! That's just the most incredible thing!

Within... Within seconds, he was diving under the water

and he's popped up over there.

I felt very anxious just dropping this baby bird into the water.

But he knows what's meant to happen. And within a few seconds,

he was diving a couple of metres under the water.

But that's his new home for the next three years.

Looks to me as if he's going to love it!

Well, that is all from us here on Tiree.

For more information and inspiration on how to enjoy

and get the very best out of our marine life here in the UK,

head to our website...

We'll be back tomorrow, when we're in the South West,

exploring the huge variety

of treasures that we have on our seashores.

I'll leave you to work out what this is.

For now, though, we'll leave you with some of the UK's

most impressive resident and visiting seabirds -

something that Britain really does do best. Goodbye.

What do our homes say about us?

And who lived here before you did?

Oh, the vice consul for Germany!