0:00:05 > 0:00:08We're on our way to the appropriately named Bird Island,
0:00:08 > 0:00:10right in the middle of the lough,
0:00:10 > 0:00:14it's one of the most important bird nesting sites in Ireland
0:00:15 > 0:00:19Jen, so many birds here on Bird Island, what are we looking at?
0:00:19 > 0:00:22Bird Island is one of the biggest cormorant colonies
0:00:22 > 0:00:25we have here in the lough and in Northern Ireland.
0:00:25 > 0:00:29This is where most of them come to have their young,
0:00:29 > 0:00:33and you'll see them all just resting up at the top there,
0:00:33 > 0:00:36while the tide goes out.
0:00:36 > 0:00:39They're really distinctive and they have big, long necks
0:00:39 > 0:00:43and you'll often see them with their wings stretched out like Dracula.
0:00:43 > 0:00:46And the reason they do that is because they don't have
0:00:46 > 0:00:48the same waterproofing oils that other birds have,
0:00:48 > 0:00:51so they actually have to dry them out in the wind,
0:00:51 > 0:00:52the way we dry our hair.
0:00:52 > 0:00:55And that means when they're actually under the water,
0:00:55 > 0:00:58or flying around, they'll be nice and warm and dry underneath.
0:00:58 > 0:00:59They really aren't a pretty bird,
0:00:59 > 0:01:02they're a bit like a dinosaur, reptile even.
0:01:02 > 0:01:04They are, it's one of the reasons why I love them.
0:01:04 > 0:01:07They're so unusual looking, they're quite scaly around the eyes
0:01:07 > 0:01:10and then they have this big, long, hooked beak.
0:01:10 > 0:01:13- And they do, they just remind you of the dinosaurs, really.- Yeah.
0:01:13 > 0:01:15And what stage in the season are they at now?
0:01:15 > 0:01:18We're nearly at the end of the season,
0:01:18 > 0:01:21so a lot of the young birds will be starting to lose their downy
0:01:21 > 0:01:26feathers and practising to fly and they'll get more and more hungry
0:01:26 > 0:01:29and start to leave the nest and search for their own food.
0:01:32 > 0:01:34- And are they good mums and dads? - Brilliant mums and dads!
0:01:34 > 0:01:36They only have one brood during the summer,
0:01:36 > 0:01:39so they can put all their energy into that one brood
0:01:39 > 0:01:43and they're also monogamous, so they stick to the same partner,
0:01:43 > 0:01:46and every year, they'll come back to the same spot, the same partner
0:01:46 > 0:01:50and do a little dance to each other to confirm their partnership.
0:01:50 > 0:01:53- How romantic!- Old romantics, yes.
0:01:53 > 0:01:55And what about the seagulls, too, lots of them around?
0:01:55 > 0:01:57Yes, there's lots of seagulls.
0:01:57 > 0:02:00One of the most impressive would be the black back.
0:02:00 > 0:02:01He's huge!
0:02:01 > 0:02:03He's massive, yeah.
0:02:03 > 0:02:05And quite intimidating, if you see them up close
0:02:05 > 0:02:08and also to the other birds, because these guys are actually
0:02:08 > 0:02:10one of the biggest predators in the air
0:02:10 > 0:02:13and they will take the small chicks off the other birds,
0:02:13 > 0:02:16and that's why they nest beside other colonies.
0:02:16 > 0:02:18So, they take the live chicks, not just the eggs?
0:02:18 > 0:02:21No, they take the chicks, yeah, unfortunately.
0:02:21 > 0:02:23It's a hard world out there for the birds, yeah.
0:02:23 > 0:02:26And what sort of lifespan does the average seagull have?
0:02:26 > 0:02:30Well, some seagulls can live quite a lengthy life.
0:02:30 > 0:02:33The oldest seagulls have been found up to 30 years, or more.
0:02:33 > 0:02:38- Really?- And the cormorant, the oldest cormorant, was 23.
0:02:38 > 0:02:42But, on average, the only live maybe 12, or a wee bit more than that,
0:02:42 > 0:02:45because life out here is very difficult,
0:02:45 > 0:02:48especially in the winter, and they don't always survive that long.
0:02:48 > 0:02:51- So why are you such a fan of the ugly old cormorant?- They just...
0:02:51 > 0:02:55- You don't even think he's ugly! - No, I think he's fantastic.
0:02:55 > 0:02:57When you see the sun on their feathers,
0:02:57 > 0:02:59they glisten because they're black.
0:02:59 > 0:03:02They are brilliant divers, they have really unusual webbed feet,
0:03:02 > 0:03:04that they use as propellers under the water
0:03:04 > 0:03:06and because they look so reptilian,
0:03:06 > 0:03:09they're so different and so distinctive.
0:03:09 > 0:03:12and when you see them gliding along the glassy water in the lough,
0:03:12 > 0:03:13it's just beautiful.
0:03:13 > 0:03:16- You're doing a really good sales pitch for them, I have to say.- Yeah!
0:03:16 > 0:03:18If we wanted to go onto this island
0:03:18 > 0:03:22- and have a bit of a walk around, is that possible?- Unfortunately, not.
0:03:22 > 0:03:23Bird Island is a sanctuary
0:03:23 > 0:03:26which means it is totally protected for the birds.
0:03:26 > 0:03:29And I think it's better that way, because it means the birds know
0:03:29 > 0:03:32they can go somewhere, be safe and not be disturbed.
0:03:32 > 0:03:35And it also means that we can watch from a distance
0:03:35 > 0:03:38and see so many birds together in one place.
0:03:38 > 0:03:40Such a special thing, right on our doorstep.
0:03:40 > 0:03:42Oh, it's fantastic. I love it.