0:00:02 > 0:00:04For just a few months of the year,
0:00:04 > 0:00:08we share the United Kingdom with a remarkable group of animals.
0:00:08 > 0:00:14Every summer, 8 million seabirds come to our shores to breed
0:00:14 > 0:00:17and they come from quite literally all around the world.
0:00:17 > 0:00:21Most of the time they live out there,
0:00:21 > 0:00:24in the vast emptiness of the world's oceans.
0:00:25 > 0:00:28But then, for a short time, they come ashore...
0:00:30 > 0:00:32..for the breeding season.
0:00:33 > 0:00:37It's one of the greatest wildlife gatherings on Earth,
0:00:37 > 0:00:40and it happens right here on our doorstep.
0:00:42 > 0:00:48It's noisy, colourful, dramatic, and, if we dig a little deeper,
0:00:48 > 0:00:52it turns out that these birds' lives are packed full of surprises.
0:00:52 > 0:00:57Welcome to the Springwatch Guide to Seabirds!
0:01:21 > 0:01:26Seabirds are actually an astonishing group of animals.
0:01:26 > 0:01:2925 different species of them come to the UK,
0:01:29 > 0:01:33and each has its own special qualities.
0:01:33 > 0:01:38The huge Northern gannet - powerful, the master of the ocean.
0:01:42 > 0:01:48Delicate Arctic terns, known as swallows of the sea.
0:01:49 > 0:01:51They fly from the Antarctic Ocean
0:01:51 > 0:01:55to the northern isles of Scotland every year.
0:01:57 > 0:02:02And fulmars have, um... rather unpleasant habits.
0:02:04 > 0:02:07From "Eurgh" to "Ahh!"
0:02:07 > 0:02:10After nine months apart, far out at sea,
0:02:10 > 0:02:13the gentle courtship of the puffin
0:02:13 > 0:02:17has delighted bird watchers for generations.
0:02:19 > 0:02:22In the summer, you can find these wonderful birds
0:02:22 > 0:02:29all around our coastline, from the Northern Isles of Scotland,
0:02:29 > 0:02:32to the southern isles of Wales and England
0:02:32 > 0:02:36and we're going to the very best places to see them.
0:02:36 > 0:02:40I'm on Orkney, off the northern tip of Scotland.
0:02:40 > 0:02:46Iolo Williams is on Skomer Island, off the southwest coast of Wales.
0:02:47 > 0:02:49Michaela? She's in Bath,
0:02:49 > 0:02:53where she's finding out why so many of our cities
0:02:53 > 0:02:57now echo to the plaintive cries of seagulls.
0:02:59 > 0:03:04And Chris? Well, he's rooting about in the bowels of Bristol Museum,
0:03:04 > 0:03:07looking for things to help him explain some of the deeper mysteries
0:03:07 > 0:03:09of these fascinating birds.
0:03:10 > 0:03:14Together, we'll be taking a closer look at our seabirds
0:03:14 > 0:03:18and how they're coping in a fast-changing world.
0:03:21 > 0:03:23But first of all,
0:03:23 > 0:03:27what brings these creatures of the sea to land for the breeding season?
0:03:28 > 0:03:31Well, of course, they don't have any choice -
0:03:31 > 0:03:34they can't exactly lay their eggs on water.
0:03:34 > 0:03:37And millions of them choose our coastline
0:03:37 > 0:03:40because it provides them with everything they need
0:03:40 > 0:03:42to raise their young.
0:03:44 > 0:03:47I used to think that scenes like this,
0:03:47 > 0:03:51thousands of seabirds nesting, were going on all over Europe.
0:03:51 > 0:03:53But that's not the case.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56This is a very special place.
0:03:56 > 0:03:58In fact, birds will come from literally
0:03:58 > 0:04:02all round the world to the British Isles to nest.
0:04:02 > 0:04:05There are two reasons - one is the variety of nest sites.
0:04:05 > 0:04:09We've got everything that they need to nest on, from cliffs
0:04:09 > 0:04:12to sand dunes, agricultural land, we've got the lot.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15The second is the sea.
0:04:15 > 0:04:17Our seas are so rich in food,
0:04:17 > 0:04:21they can support literally millions of mouths.
0:04:24 > 0:04:29I'm on Orkney, perhaps the seabird capital of the UK.
0:04:31 > 0:04:35And this ancient archipelago off the north coast of mainland Scotland
0:04:35 > 0:04:38is a Mecca for seabirds.
0:04:39 > 0:04:42Every summer, nearly a million of them
0:04:42 > 0:04:45descend on these islands to raise their young,
0:04:45 > 0:04:49including 22 out of our 25 different species.
0:04:54 > 0:04:56Just listen to this.
0:04:56 > 0:04:59LOUD BIRD CALLS
0:04:59 > 0:05:02These are the great seabird cities of Orkney
0:05:02 > 0:05:04and there are literally thousands of birds
0:05:04 > 0:05:06nesting all along this cliff.
0:05:07 > 0:05:09It's epic.
0:05:10 > 0:05:15Orkney has some of the tallest sea cliffs in the British Isles.
0:05:15 > 0:05:17Relatively safe from predators,
0:05:17 > 0:05:20and right next to the ocean they rely on for food,
0:05:20 > 0:05:24seabirds choose these rock faces to lay their eggs
0:05:24 > 0:05:26and rear their chicks.
0:05:30 > 0:05:34Just look at them, all lined up on these narrow ledges.
0:05:35 > 0:05:38But it's not as chaotic as it might perhaps look.
0:05:42 > 0:05:44Now, what's fascinating about these cliffs
0:05:44 > 0:05:48is the way the different species separate themselves out
0:05:48 > 0:05:49when they come here to nest.
0:05:49 > 0:05:52So you've got a sort of middle band here,
0:05:52 > 0:05:55and that's where the kittiwakes and guillemots are nesting.
0:05:55 > 0:05:59And then tucked away in sort of holes all around the place
0:05:59 > 0:06:01are razorbills.
0:06:08 > 0:06:12Just as they all choose different parts of the cliff,
0:06:12 > 0:06:16they also have very different feeding habits.
0:06:16 > 0:06:19Kittiwakes are known as surface feeders,
0:06:19 > 0:06:23hardly dipping below the surface of the water.
0:06:23 > 0:06:25And that's in complete contrast
0:06:25 > 0:06:29to their neighbours on the cliffs, the guillemots.
0:06:29 > 0:06:32They're some of the deepest diving of all seabirds,
0:06:32 > 0:06:36capable of going over 100 metres underwater in search of food.
0:06:36 > 0:06:38Now, unless you're a keen birder,
0:06:38 > 0:06:42guillemots are easily confused with the razorbills.
0:06:42 > 0:06:44The easiest way to tell them apart
0:06:44 > 0:06:48is that a razorbill has white markings on its bill.
0:06:48 > 0:06:52It also has a slightly fatter bill than the guillemot.
0:06:52 > 0:06:56Guillemots have a totally black head, with a narrow bill.
0:06:58 > 0:07:00But confusingly, up here on Orkney,
0:07:00 > 0:07:04some of the guillemots have white markings round their eyes.
0:07:04 > 0:07:07They're called bridled guillemots.
0:07:07 > 0:07:10No-one knows what it's for, but the further north you go,
0:07:10 > 0:07:13the more guillemots seem to be bridled.
0:07:13 > 0:07:15I think it looks rather distinguished!
0:07:20 > 0:07:21Up here on the cliffs,
0:07:21 > 0:07:24the seabirds may be relatively safe from predators
0:07:24 > 0:07:28but those thin ledges look awfully precarious to me.
0:07:31 > 0:07:34How on earth do they stop the chick and particularly the eggs
0:07:34 > 0:07:37falling off into the sea?
0:07:39 > 0:07:42Chris is in the basement of the museum where he's found
0:07:42 > 0:07:45exactly what he needs to explain how it all works.
0:07:48 > 0:07:53Well, some of the smaller species like kittiwakes actually make nests.
0:07:53 > 0:07:54Pretty good nests.
0:07:54 > 0:07:58They'll fly some distance to collect weed, take it back to the ledge,
0:07:58 > 0:08:02and then weld it together using their own faeces.
0:08:03 > 0:08:06The result is a nest that's so substantial
0:08:06 > 0:08:08it will last from year to year.
0:08:11 > 0:08:15Further down the cliff, shags also use weed to make a nest.
0:08:15 > 0:08:17But they also add a few sticks as well,
0:08:17 > 0:08:21and they make a lovely cup to hold their eggs and chicks.
0:08:25 > 0:08:29But other species, like the auks - guillemots, for instance -
0:08:29 > 0:08:32make absolutely no nest at all.
0:08:32 > 0:08:37No fabric is used in the making of their nest.
0:08:37 > 0:08:39They simply lay their eggs onto bare rock.
0:08:43 > 0:08:47So why don't they roll into the sea?
0:08:47 > 0:08:50Well, it's all down to a magnificent adaptation
0:08:50 > 0:08:51in the shape of the egg.
0:08:51 > 0:08:54This is a guillemot's egg, and it's pear-shaped
0:08:54 > 0:08:57and look what happens if it's accidentally dislodged.
0:09:00 > 0:09:04It spins in a tight circle.
0:09:04 > 0:09:07It stays on that rocky ledge.
0:09:07 > 0:09:12It doesn't fall into the sea, many metres below.
0:09:13 > 0:09:17Brilliant. Nature is endlessly inventive.
0:09:19 > 0:09:22So those are the seabirds that breed on the cliff face,
0:09:22 > 0:09:24but there's also another bird
0:09:24 > 0:09:27that prefers to live at the top of the tower block, if you like -
0:09:27 > 0:09:29the puffin.
0:09:29 > 0:09:31Now, it may be a surprise to discover
0:09:31 > 0:09:35that puffins like to nest underground in burrows
0:09:35 > 0:09:39and one of the best places in the British Isles to see them
0:09:39 > 0:09:42is the Welsh island of Skomer.
0:09:42 > 0:09:45This little island is the largest
0:09:45 > 0:09:47and most important seabird breeding colony
0:09:47 > 0:09:50in the whole of southern Britain.
0:09:53 > 0:09:55It's early April
0:09:55 > 0:09:58and things are pretty quiet on Skomer at the moment.
0:09:58 > 0:10:01Not too many puffins here yet.
0:10:02 > 0:10:06But, out to sea, there's a sign of what's about to happen.
0:10:12 > 0:10:15Every year, 6,000 pairs of Atlantic puffins
0:10:15 > 0:10:17flock to this Pembrokeshire island.
0:10:20 > 0:10:23It's the largest puffin breeding colony in southern Britain.
0:10:32 > 0:10:38And I'm here to witness the return of the first migrants.
0:10:40 > 0:10:43PUFFINS CALL
0:10:45 > 0:10:49The air is filled with puffins flying around and calling.
0:10:49 > 0:10:51They're all looking for someone.
0:10:51 > 0:10:55PUFFINS CONTINUE TO CALL
0:11:12 > 0:11:15Puffins are faithful to one life-long partner.
0:11:15 > 0:11:18They're known to live for up to 29 years,
0:11:18 > 0:11:22and, in that time, they'll return here every spring
0:11:22 > 0:11:24to the same mate and the same burrow.
0:11:27 > 0:11:30They only come to land to breed, that's it.
0:11:30 > 0:11:32The rest of the year, they're out on the open ocean.
0:11:32 > 0:11:35They really are a seabird, not a land bird.
0:11:35 > 0:11:39And what you find is that they're concentrated in various areas,
0:11:39 > 0:11:41areas that have been well-grazed by the rabbits,
0:11:41 > 0:11:43areas that are full of holes.
0:11:43 > 0:11:45It's like a piece of Swiss cheese under my arm here.
0:11:45 > 0:11:48You've got puffins nesting in all of these burrows.
0:11:48 > 0:11:53A good burrow on the cliff top, with easy access to the sea
0:11:53 > 0:11:57and all the food it offers, is worth defending from newcomers.
0:12:31 > 0:12:34PUFFIN CALLS
0:12:37 > 0:12:42Once everything settles down, it's time for a spot of spring-cleaning,
0:12:42 > 0:12:46and a bit of nest-building.
0:12:55 > 0:13:00And then, the puffins finally have some special time for each other.
0:13:03 > 0:13:05This is a pair here in front of me.
0:13:05 > 0:13:09We had a little bit of nibbling, sort of courtship, just a little bit.
0:13:09 > 0:13:12They're quite loving birds when you see the pair together.
0:13:12 > 0:13:14BILLS CLICK
0:13:14 > 0:13:18Bill clattering is a crucial part of re-establishing pair bonds.
0:13:21 > 0:13:25It's the puffins' way of showing their affection.
0:13:28 > 0:13:34And you might wonder, why has a bird like a puffin got such a huge bill?
0:13:35 > 0:13:39The summer puffin is a beautiful thing -
0:13:39 > 0:13:42just look at this lovely broad and colourful bill.
0:13:42 > 0:13:46It also has bright gape flanges too, and wonderful pale cheeks.
0:13:46 > 0:13:50It's all about communicating, it's all about display,
0:13:50 > 0:13:55Mr and Mrs Puffin letting each other know exactly how they feel.
0:13:58 > 0:14:02And it's a serious investment of material,
0:14:02 > 0:14:06protein has gone into making that beak big, bright and beautiful.
0:14:06 > 0:14:09Look at this puffin, a museum specimen
0:14:09 > 0:14:11that was taken in the winter.
0:14:11 > 0:14:15The bill has shrunk, and it's lost all of its colour.
0:14:15 > 0:14:18It's not there to communicate anymore,
0:14:18 > 0:14:21it's just there to get food for itself.
0:14:25 > 0:14:29But for the moment, the puffins are in full breeding display.
0:14:37 > 0:14:40The seabird breeding season on Skomer has really begun.
0:14:51 > 0:14:55Back on Orkney, I'm heading to the tiny island of Copinsay.
0:14:58 > 0:15:02It's a real hotspot for seabirds,
0:15:02 > 0:15:05and I'm here to find some we haven't met yet.
0:15:06 > 0:15:09Now, right down at the bottom of the cliffs here
0:15:09 > 0:15:11are a whole rank of black birds.
0:15:11 > 0:15:13Now those are shags.
0:15:13 > 0:15:16Very similar to cormorants, you've probably seen cormorants.
0:15:16 > 0:15:19But shags stay always near the coast,
0:15:19 > 0:15:22whereas the cormorants come inland and they look black,
0:15:22 > 0:15:26but if you look closely at them, they're anything but.
0:15:26 > 0:15:29They're a kind of mysterious, magical green colour
0:15:29 > 0:15:32with a bright, bright yellow bill.
0:15:33 > 0:15:36And they're remarkable birds, shags.
0:15:36 > 0:15:40They're very deep divers. They can go down to about 60 metres.
0:15:40 > 0:15:44It always strikes me as amazing that a bird that can fly, can also dive.
0:15:44 > 0:15:47It can live between worlds like that,
0:15:47 > 0:15:50and they can hold their breath for well over a minute.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55If you look a little higher up the cliff,
0:15:55 > 0:15:59you can see these shags already have young.
0:15:59 > 0:16:02They look almost reptilian!
0:16:03 > 0:16:07Another seabird that breeds on Copinsay is the Northern fulmar.
0:16:09 > 0:16:12And the fulmar's story is a fascinating one,
0:16:12 > 0:16:16because the very first record of a fulmar nesting here in Orkney
0:16:16 > 0:16:18was in 1900.
0:16:19 > 0:16:25By the end of the 1980s, there were over 90,000 of them nesting here
0:16:25 > 0:16:28and that number's stayed more or less the same.
0:16:30 > 0:16:33It's thought that this dramatic increase in numbers
0:16:33 > 0:16:36is down to discards from fishing vessels from the North Sea.
0:16:41 > 0:16:45Suddenly, there was a totally new food source
0:16:45 > 0:16:48available to seabirds like the fulmar.
0:16:54 > 0:16:57Fulmars have one distinguishing feature
0:16:57 > 0:16:59that makes them easily recognizable
0:16:59 > 0:17:02and clearly different from a seagull -
0:17:02 > 0:17:06a prominent tubular nostril on top of their bills.
0:17:07 > 0:17:11But, Chris, what exactly is the tubenose for?
0:17:13 > 0:17:19Well, all animals need salt, but none need too much of it.
0:17:19 > 0:17:22Salt regulation is a very important affair
0:17:22 > 0:17:25and if you're a seabird, feeding on a salty diet,
0:17:25 > 0:17:28then clearly you've got a major problem.
0:17:28 > 0:17:32As a bird, you can't sweat the excess salt away,
0:17:32 > 0:17:33so how do you cope?
0:17:33 > 0:17:35Well, in the case of the fulmar,
0:17:35 > 0:17:38they have a small gland between the eye and the top of the bill
0:17:38 > 0:17:42through which they pump all of their blood
0:17:42 > 0:17:46and it's here that the excess salt is separated,
0:17:46 > 0:17:49and it's here that the tubenose comes into play.
0:17:49 > 0:17:52Because that excess salt goes into something
0:17:52 > 0:17:55that we can only call salty snot,
0:17:55 > 0:18:00and it's channelled through the tubenose, along the top of the bill,
0:18:00 > 0:18:02it then runs down a groove in the bill
0:18:02 > 0:18:04until it forms in a drip on the tip,
0:18:04 > 0:18:09and it can fall away clear of all of the pristine feathers of the fulmar.
0:18:09 > 0:18:12You see, if it didn't have the tubenose,
0:18:12 > 0:18:14the salty snot would be running down its cheek,
0:18:14 > 0:18:17and that's not a good look for a fulmar,
0:18:17 > 0:18:20and it's not a good look for a small child.
0:18:22 > 0:18:26And salty snot isn't the fulmar's only foul habit.
0:18:30 > 0:18:33I've got to be a bit careful
0:18:33 > 0:18:36because fulmars have a remarkable way of defending themselves.
0:18:36 > 0:18:38If I was to get a little bit closer,
0:18:38 > 0:18:42she would projectile vomit, she'd be sick all over me,
0:18:42 > 0:18:44which is extremely unpleasant
0:18:44 > 0:18:47because it smells horrible, whoops, he might do it too,
0:18:47 > 0:18:50but worse than that, for a predator, say a peregrine,
0:18:50 > 0:18:54if that sick gets over their feathers,
0:18:54 > 0:18:56and they're very accurate at shooting it out,
0:18:56 > 0:19:00it can mat the feathers up and peregrines have been killed
0:19:00 > 0:19:02by getting too close to these fulmars
0:19:02 > 0:19:04and getting covered in their sick.
0:19:05 > 0:19:08One more thing about fulmars -
0:19:08 > 0:19:12how old do you think she might be?
0:19:12 > 0:19:16Many of these seabirds are very long-lived,
0:19:16 > 0:19:18but fulmars, 20, 30 years.
0:19:19 > 0:19:26One was ringed here in Orkney on the 18th of July 1951.
0:19:26 > 0:19:30It was last seen nearly 41 years later.
0:19:30 > 0:19:32That's not the end of the story,
0:19:32 > 0:19:35it was ringed not as a baby but as an adult.
0:19:35 > 0:19:40So it could have been easily, seven, ten years older than that.
0:19:40 > 0:19:44That fulmar could be 50 years old
0:19:44 > 0:19:48and that, folks, is almost as old as ME.
0:19:52 > 0:19:56There are five species of tern that breed in the UK,
0:19:56 > 0:20:00but this is perhaps my favourite, the Arctic tern.
0:20:01 > 0:20:06Every spring, these beautiful birds, known as the swallows of the sea,
0:20:06 > 0:20:11make an extraordinary journey, travelling over 20,000 miles
0:20:11 > 0:20:14from the Antarctic Ocean to Orkney.
0:20:14 > 0:20:19It's the longest migration ever recorded by any animal.
0:20:19 > 0:20:23In a single lifetime, one of these delicate-looking birds
0:20:23 > 0:20:26might have travelled over 1.5 million miles,
0:20:26 > 0:20:30that's to the moon and back three times.
0:20:30 > 0:20:34They weigh little more than 100 grams
0:20:34 > 0:20:36and, to me, they look like they're made of paper.
0:20:36 > 0:20:39Origami birds!
0:20:39 > 0:20:44Let's think for a moment about the lives these birds lead out at sea.
0:20:44 > 0:20:47They only spend around three months of the year living here,
0:20:47 > 0:20:50in the relative shelter of our shores.
0:20:50 > 0:20:53But the rest of the time, they're out there,
0:20:53 > 0:20:57trying to survive in the great wilderness of our oceans.
0:21:06 > 0:21:09One of the most spectacular of our seabird visitors
0:21:09 > 0:21:12is the Northern gannet.
0:21:12 > 0:21:16It's the largest of our seabirds, with a wingspan of six feet.
0:21:16 > 0:21:21The gannet is capable of travelling huge distances in search of food.
0:21:21 > 0:21:25And, of course, it also does this!
0:21:31 > 0:21:36But how does it thump into the water without hurting itself?
0:21:37 > 0:21:41Well, firstly, they have no external nostrils.
0:21:41 > 0:21:45If you're throwing yourself into the sea at about 45 miles an hour,
0:21:45 > 0:21:48you don't want water going up your nose hard.
0:21:48 > 0:21:52Secondly, they have air bags over the tops of their heads,
0:21:52 > 0:21:55through their necks, and on the fronts of their wings
0:21:55 > 0:21:58and these cushion the impact as they hit the water.
0:22:04 > 0:22:07But lastly, it's all to do with their body position,
0:22:07 > 0:22:09because as they enter the water,
0:22:09 > 0:22:12they put their wings back so that they go in,
0:22:12 > 0:22:15in an extremely streamlined fashion.
0:22:15 > 0:22:18They go into the water like torpedoes
0:22:18 > 0:22:22and to see it is absolutely fantastic.
0:22:25 > 0:22:28Many seabirds, like the gannet and Arctic tern,
0:22:28 > 0:22:31choose to breed on very remote islands,
0:22:31 > 0:22:33which most of us will never get to visit.
0:22:33 > 0:22:36But there are plenty of other seabirds
0:22:36 > 0:22:40that choose to come to us in seaside towns all over Britain.
0:22:41 > 0:22:44Michaela went for a day out in Weston-Super-Mare,
0:22:44 > 0:22:49where she met some of our most regular visitors, the seagulls.
0:22:51 > 0:22:55But did you know there's actually no such thing as a seagull?
0:22:55 > 0:22:58In fact, it's the collective name for a group of seabirds,
0:22:58 > 0:23:03and, here in the UK, we commonly see 11 different species.
0:23:03 > 0:23:07We call them seagulls because we think they all look the same -
0:23:07 > 0:23:11big, white birds that live by the seaside, with a noisy call.
0:23:11 > 0:23:14But, of course, they all have distinguishing features.
0:23:19 > 0:23:23The two gulls you're most likely to see at the seaside
0:23:23 > 0:23:26are the herring gull, and the lesser black-backed gull.
0:23:26 > 0:23:29And it's easy to get them confused.
0:23:29 > 0:23:31But let's take a look at them.
0:23:31 > 0:23:36The herring gull is a very large, noisy bird.
0:23:38 > 0:23:42It's got a light grey back and black wing tips.
0:23:43 > 0:23:45And pink legs.
0:23:48 > 0:23:54Now, this gull has yellow legs, a dark-grey back and a yellow bill
0:23:54 > 0:23:58and that means it's a lesser black-backed gull.
0:23:58 > 0:24:01If you've ever looked carefully at either of these gulls
0:24:01 > 0:24:04during the breeding season, you may have noticed
0:24:04 > 0:24:06they have a bright red spot on their bill.
0:24:06 > 0:24:10But do you know what that's for? Chris?
0:24:10 > 0:24:14Well, it's really important, it's a target,
0:24:14 > 0:24:17a target for the young gull chicks to peck at
0:24:17 > 0:24:19when the adult returns to the nest,
0:24:19 > 0:24:22and if you watch them, as soon as it gets there,
0:24:22 > 0:24:24they jab furiously at the spot,
0:24:24 > 0:24:29this instigates the regurgitating behaviour in the adult
0:24:29 > 0:24:33that ensures that the youngsters get their meal.
0:24:35 > 0:24:38There's another gull that you're quite likely to see
0:24:38 > 0:24:41down by the sea and that's the black-headed gull.
0:24:43 > 0:24:45Despite its name,
0:24:45 > 0:24:48its head is actually more of a dark chocolate brown colour.
0:24:49 > 0:24:52But don't get confused, because in the winter
0:24:52 > 0:24:55the black-headed gull loses its dark head.
0:24:55 > 0:24:59It just gets left with these funny headphone-like markings!
0:25:00 > 0:25:04These gulls have a red bill and red legs, too.
0:25:05 > 0:25:09Honestly, seagull ID isn't easy,
0:25:09 > 0:25:13but with a few tips it is possible to tell them apart.
0:25:20 > 0:25:23Gulls are one of the most domesticated,
0:25:23 > 0:25:26and most visible, of our seabirds.
0:25:27 > 0:25:31But, on Skomer, Iolo's got a much shyer bird.
0:25:34 > 0:25:36It's the middle of May
0:25:36 > 0:25:40and the island is quickly turning into a crowded maternity ward.
0:25:40 > 0:25:43Everywhere, there are seabirds sitting on eggs.
0:25:52 > 0:25:56And the sky is busy with birds preparing for the arrival of chicks.
0:25:56 > 0:25:59They're all out looking for food.
0:26:06 > 0:26:10But after dark, this island turns into a very different place.
0:26:13 > 0:26:16The air is filled with the eerie calls
0:26:16 > 0:26:18of a rather curious seabird of the night.
0:26:21 > 0:26:24The Manx shearwater is the most numerous bird on Skomer.
0:26:24 > 0:26:28128,000 pairs of them come here to breed every year,
0:26:28 > 0:26:30a third of the world population.
0:26:34 > 0:26:36During daylight hours,
0:26:36 > 0:26:40the adults are either hiding away in burrows underground,
0:26:40 > 0:26:44where they lay their eggs, or far out to sea, foraging.
0:26:48 > 0:26:51It's only at night that the Manx shearwaters will return to land
0:26:51 > 0:26:53to swap incubating duties.
0:26:59 > 0:27:02But why are Manx shearwaters so clumsy?
0:27:05 > 0:27:08Well, it's all to do with the positioning of their legs.
0:27:08 > 0:27:11Look, they're right at the back of the body here.
0:27:11 > 0:27:15Now this is perfect for a life at sea, perfect for paddling,
0:27:15 > 0:27:17and perfect for diving.
0:27:17 > 0:27:19But it's no good for walking.
0:27:19 > 0:27:22And I know this mounted specimen shows the animal walking,
0:27:22 > 0:27:25but to be honest with you, whenever I've seen them,
0:27:25 > 0:27:27they've been shuffling along on their breast.
0:27:27 > 0:27:29Pretty hopeless.
0:27:29 > 0:27:31And, of course, prone to predation
0:27:31 > 0:27:34from some of the larger gull and skua species
0:27:34 > 0:27:36and it's for this reason
0:27:36 > 0:27:40that shearwaters only come ashore at night.
0:27:42 > 0:27:47Unfortunately, there are still plenty of victims every year.
0:27:47 > 0:27:51This is what happens when a Manx shearwater is caught, killed,
0:27:51 > 0:27:56and eaten by the biggest predator on Skomer, the great black-backed gull.
0:27:58 > 0:28:00And it's not just the great black-backed gull
0:28:00 > 0:28:03that these seabirds have to fear.
0:28:03 > 0:28:07They run the gauntlet of death every time they leave their ledge.
0:28:09 > 0:28:13Lots of predators time their breeding cycle to that of their prey -
0:28:13 > 0:28:15peregrines,
0:28:15 > 0:28:17buzzards,
0:28:17 > 0:28:19gulls.
0:28:21 > 0:28:23And there's one seabird on Orkney
0:28:23 > 0:28:27that has earned itself the nickname "the northern pirate".
0:28:29 > 0:28:35Cruising the cliffs, the Arctic skua is a stunning bird -
0:28:35 > 0:28:38graceful, streamlined, breathtakingly agile.
0:28:38 > 0:28:43But it has a rather unusual speciality - kleptoparasitism.
0:28:43 > 0:28:47The Arctic skua likes to chase and bully other seabirds
0:28:47 > 0:28:50until they give up their food.
0:28:50 > 0:28:54It's perfectly capable of catching its own meal,
0:28:54 > 0:28:58but it just prefers to steal from others.
0:29:01 > 0:29:03So far we've got a feel
0:29:03 > 0:29:06for the tremendous variety of British seabirds,
0:29:06 > 0:29:09and what a fascinating group of animals they are.
0:29:09 > 0:29:14Each with their own special abilities and adaptations.
0:29:14 > 0:29:15But as a group,
0:29:15 > 0:29:19seabirds are experiencing some tough challenges right now.
0:29:20 > 0:29:24The sea itself is changing quite dramatically
0:29:24 > 0:29:28and birds like the Arctic skua are struggling.
0:29:28 > 0:29:31Since the mid 1980s,
0:29:31 > 0:29:35Arctic skuas in Orkney have declined by nearly 70%.
0:29:37 > 0:29:41And unfortunately it's not the only seabird that's in trouble up here.
0:29:43 > 0:29:46On a very windy morning, I met up with Eric Meek from the RSPB,
0:29:46 > 0:29:50who's lived and worked with seabirds
0:29:50 > 0:29:54on Orkney for over 30 years.
0:29:54 > 0:29:58During that time, he's seen some dramatic changes.
0:29:59 > 0:30:03Eric, at first sight, this cliff seems to have
0:30:03 > 0:30:07lots of birds nesting on it, but all is not as it seems, is it?
0:30:07 > 0:30:10No, and that's the case with a lot of our seabird colonies,
0:30:10 > 0:30:13but this one perhaps more than any other.
0:30:13 > 0:30:17It looks quite busy, at the moment, but compared to the mid 1980s,
0:30:17 > 0:30:21there's only a tiny fraction of the birds that were here then.
0:30:21 > 0:30:24What sort of numbers are we talking about?
0:30:24 > 0:30:27Well, the kittiwakes have gone down by over 90%.
0:30:27 > 0:30:2990%?!
0:30:29 > 0:30:32And the guillemots are down by over 90% as well.
0:30:33 > 0:30:38Regular bird watchers say the cliffs of Orkney have gone quiet,
0:30:38 > 0:30:41and you can see what they mean.
0:30:43 > 0:30:49Great seabird cities like this one at Row Head on mainland Orkney,
0:30:49 > 0:30:51are peppered with empty ledges,
0:30:51 > 0:30:55which until recently would have been full of breeding seabirds.
0:30:55 > 0:30:5930 years ago, how would this have looked? Can you remember?
0:30:59 > 0:31:04Just a seething mass of birds.
0:31:04 > 0:31:06We made a film about Orkney birds
0:31:06 > 0:31:09called Northern Flights actually in 1989.
0:31:09 > 0:31:10So that's 23 years ago.
0:31:10 > 0:31:14And it's there in the film for everyone to see.
0:31:14 > 0:31:19And it is just a mass of seabirds. Just a hive of activity.
0:31:19 > 0:31:23And compared to then, things are very, very different now.
0:31:23 > 0:31:24Gosh.
0:31:26 > 0:31:30If you look closely, you can see a sad sight -
0:31:30 > 0:31:33some abandoned kittiwake nests.
0:31:33 > 0:31:35The birds did try to breed,
0:31:35 > 0:31:38but then, they gave up.
0:31:38 > 0:31:41So what on earth is happening up here in Orkney?
0:31:42 > 0:31:44During the breeding season,
0:31:44 > 0:31:48a lot of seabirds rely on a single food source, sand eels.
0:31:53 > 0:31:58These small fish are full of fatty acids and packed with proteins,
0:31:58 > 0:32:00essential for growing chicks.
0:32:00 > 0:32:04But there's been a real shortage of sand eels in recent years.
0:32:04 > 0:32:09And with less food available, some seabirds on Orkney are struggling.
0:32:13 > 0:32:18To see this decline must be quite upsetting for you.
0:32:18 > 0:32:21It's extremely upsetting, and very, very disappointing.
0:32:21 > 0:32:25The saddest thing is that there's no quick fix.
0:32:28 > 0:32:33So things are looking very serious for some seabirds in Orkney.
0:32:33 > 0:32:35But what about in the south?
0:32:38 > 0:32:43Well, surprisingly, that's a very different story.
0:32:43 > 0:32:46The seabirds on Skomer are actually doing pretty well.
0:32:47 > 0:32:49So where are we headed then, Tim?
0:32:49 > 0:32:53It's June, and Iolo's joined Professor Tim Guilford,
0:32:53 > 0:32:56a seabird scientist from Oxford University,
0:32:56 > 0:32:59to find out how the breeding season is going this year.
0:33:03 > 0:33:06Here we go. Tread carefully here.
0:33:06 > 0:33:07Yeah, you must be really careful
0:33:07 > 0:33:10cos this is just a honeycomb of burrows under here.
0:33:10 > 0:33:12OK. There we are.
0:33:12 > 0:33:15So what exactly are we doing here then, Tim?
0:33:15 > 0:33:19Well, Iolo, we're measuring the growth rate of the baby puffins
0:33:19 > 0:33:23to see how the reproduction on Skomer is going.
0:33:23 > 0:33:24Right, OK.
0:33:24 > 0:33:27Dave, let's have a look and see if there's anything in this burrow.
0:33:27 > 0:33:31Hopefully there's one in here. There was one in here a little while ago.
0:33:31 > 0:33:34How old is this one then, Dave? It's a fair size.
0:33:34 > 0:33:38Um, this one is just over a month old, so he'll be gone pretty soon.
0:33:38 > 0:33:40Right, you want to weigh and measure that, Dave,
0:33:40 > 0:33:44so we can put it back as soon as we possibly can.
0:33:44 > 0:33:47So he's got a wing of 139mm.
0:33:47 > 0:33:51OK, yup. So weight is what?
0:33:51 > 0:33:54- 270 grams.- 270 grams.
0:33:54 > 0:33:59And roughly what weight will he be when he heads off to sea?
0:33:59 > 0:34:01That's a reasonable weight.
0:34:01 > 0:34:06The heaviest one I've found this year was 385 grams,
0:34:06 > 0:34:09which is actually the heaviest one I've ever found on the island,
0:34:09 > 0:34:14but they fledge anywhere between 275, 320 or so.
0:34:14 > 0:34:16So this, Tim, this is a good sign.
0:34:16 > 0:34:18It shows that these birds are very well fed.
0:34:18 > 0:34:20Yeah, this is a nice example
0:34:20 > 0:34:22of how well they are doing on Skomer, I think.
0:34:24 > 0:34:25And eating what mainly?
0:34:25 > 0:34:28Eating sprats and sand eels, those are the preferred foods,
0:34:28 > 0:34:31but sand eels are an important part of their diet.
0:34:33 > 0:34:37What puzzles me is why puffins on Skomer are doing so well,
0:34:37 > 0:34:42and yet on Orkney and some of these northern islands,
0:34:42 > 0:34:43the population's crashed.
0:34:43 > 0:34:46That's right. And it's that distinction between what's happening
0:34:46 > 0:34:49here in Pembrokeshire and what's happening in the north,
0:34:49 > 0:34:51that has fascinated ecologists for some time.
0:34:51 > 0:34:53And it has to be something to do, we think,
0:34:53 > 0:34:56has to be something to do with the availability of sand eels.
0:34:56 > 0:34:58So down here sand eels are as big,
0:34:58 > 0:35:01as healthy as they have been for years.
0:35:01 > 0:35:05In the north, and in Scotland, there have been serious declines
0:35:05 > 0:35:07in sand eel availability.
0:35:07 > 0:35:11Why is that? Is it climate change? Is it over-fishing? Or what, Tim?
0:35:11 > 0:35:13We don't know for certain
0:35:13 > 0:35:15and it could be a combination of those two factors and other things.
0:35:15 > 0:35:19But we do know that there have been increases in sea surface temperature
0:35:19 > 0:35:21in the North Sea in recent years.
0:35:21 > 0:35:24And these have coincided with the decline
0:35:24 > 0:35:27in puffin productivity and populations.
0:35:27 > 0:35:32And we also know that these higher temperatures affect the plankton
0:35:32 > 0:35:35on which sand eels feed and this has a knock-on effect
0:35:35 > 0:35:36into the seabird productivity.
0:35:36 > 0:35:39And of course fewer sand eels, fewer puffins.
0:35:39 > 0:35:41That's absolutely right, yeah.
0:35:43 > 0:35:45In recent years, climate change has caused
0:35:45 > 0:35:50the North Sea water temperature to rise by almost two degrees.
0:35:50 > 0:35:56And this has had a huge effect on the delicately-balanced marine ecosystem.
0:35:56 > 0:36:00Cold water plankton species that the sand eels rely on for food
0:36:00 > 0:36:03have moved north in search of colder water.
0:36:03 > 0:36:06And the new, warmer-water species that have replaced them
0:36:06 > 0:36:10bloom at the wrong time for the developing sand eel larvae.
0:36:10 > 0:36:13Without enough food at the right time,
0:36:13 > 0:36:15the sand eel population has crashed.
0:36:16 > 0:36:19Are we going to see population declines,
0:36:19 > 0:36:21like we're seeing on the northern islands,
0:36:21 > 0:36:23eventually down here as well?
0:36:23 > 0:36:27Well, we can't say for certain, and obviously we hope not,
0:36:27 > 0:36:30we hope that it's an isolated situation in the North Sea.
0:36:30 > 0:36:33But if climate change is part of the cause of that,
0:36:33 > 0:36:36then I guess, in the long term, it is very likely
0:36:36 > 0:36:38that we will see such changes here as well,
0:36:38 > 0:36:40but for the moment things are looking good.
0:36:41 > 0:36:45So it seems there's a clear north-south split,
0:36:45 > 0:36:50with seabirds on southern islands like Skomer doing well.
0:36:50 > 0:36:54Whilst those on northern islands like Orkney are struggling.
0:36:55 > 0:36:58In fact, they're doing so badly up here on Orkney,
0:36:58 > 0:37:01there's a chance we may lose some of them altogether.
0:37:01 > 0:37:04Like the Arctic tern.
0:37:11 > 0:37:14I'm back with Eric on the island of Westray,
0:37:14 > 0:37:19and today we're going to try and ring some Arctic tern chicks.
0:37:19 > 0:37:23But we're met with a very sad sight.
0:37:23 > 0:37:26Look at that. That is sad.
0:37:26 > 0:37:28That's a dead chick.
0:37:29 > 0:37:31Poor little thing.
0:37:31 > 0:37:34Interesting, you know, to know why that's died.
0:37:34 > 0:37:39We don't know, maybe it's not getting enough food.
0:37:39 > 0:37:42By monitoring the number of ringed birds
0:37:42 > 0:37:45that return to Orkney each year,
0:37:45 > 0:37:48Eric is able to measure breeding success
0:37:48 > 0:37:50and survival rates of these seabirds.
0:37:53 > 0:37:56- A nest with two eggs, just here. - Look at that!
0:37:56 > 0:37:59When they're getting plenty of food, they'll lay a clutch of three.
0:37:59 > 0:38:02And, you know, if their food supply's really good
0:38:02 > 0:38:04they'll rear all three chicks.
0:38:05 > 0:38:09But in recent years, the food supply hasn't been so good.
0:38:09 > 0:38:13So this is a clutch of two, some years we just see clutches of one.
0:38:13 > 0:38:15There's another clutch of two over there.
0:38:16 > 0:38:18But, so far, no more chicks.
0:38:23 > 0:38:25OK, so there's a scrape here.
0:38:25 > 0:38:29- Just with a single chick there, do you see it?- I've got it.
0:38:29 > 0:38:32- They're brilliantly camouflaged. - Fantastic.
0:38:34 > 0:38:37- It just sits absolutely still, Eric. - It does.
0:38:37 > 0:38:38Look at that!
0:38:38 > 0:38:42So this chick, small as though it is, it's OK to ring.
0:38:43 > 0:38:4688751.
0:38:48 > 0:38:54So, Eric, you've been studying these birds, these terns, for how long?
0:38:54 > 0:38:58Well, I first came to Orkney 31 years ago, at the beginning of 1981.
0:38:58 > 0:39:01And the year before I came, 1980,
0:39:01 > 0:39:05there'd been a big tern census, both in Orkney and Shetland.
0:39:05 > 0:39:11And in Orkney the figure was a phenomenal 33,000 pairs.
0:39:11 > 0:39:14- That's pairs?- Yup.- 33,000 pairs!
0:39:14 > 0:39:20And in Shetland there were 31,00 pairs. So these are big, big numbers.
0:39:20 > 0:39:22Some days during the breeding season,
0:39:22 > 0:39:25we could go into some of these big colonies
0:39:25 > 0:39:27and ring up to 1,000 chicks in a day.
0:39:27 > 0:39:29Absolutely phenomenal.
0:39:29 > 0:39:34Then around about 1984, 1985,
0:39:34 > 0:39:38we were still ringing big numbers of chicks,
0:39:38 > 0:39:42but in one of those years we didn't get a single recovery.
0:39:42 > 0:39:46Now, that was very odd, we didn't know exactly what was going on.
0:39:46 > 0:39:49And what seems to have happened actually, is that those chicks
0:39:49 > 0:39:51didn't fledge, they didn't survive.
0:39:51 > 0:39:55The food supply had failed and they probably never left the colony.
0:39:55 > 0:39:58And from then on, we started seeing more and more problems
0:39:58 > 0:40:01in these tern colonies with numbers declining,
0:40:01 > 0:40:04years of very, very poor breeding success.
0:40:04 > 0:40:07And what about now? What is, what's the latest figure?
0:40:07 > 0:40:09Well, this looks like a great colony, doesn't it?
0:40:09 > 0:40:11Yeah, it does.
0:40:11 > 0:40:14But we've only got about 70 or 80 pairs here.
0:40:14 > 0:40:17But if you think overall, you had, what was it,
0:40:17 > 0:40:1933,000 pairs here on Orkney.
0:40:19 > 0:40:21How many pairs do you think you've got now?
0:40:21 > 0:40:24We reckon that the numbers have gone down now by three quarters.
0:40:24 > 0:40:28We've probably only got about a quarter of those birds left, if that.
0:40:28 > 0:40:30Crikey.
0:40:30 > 0:40:33Let's put him back, Eric.
0:40:38 > 0:40:42Ah, brilliant, just the same as my chickens,
0:40:42 > 0:40:45put a shirt over their head, and they're completely relaxed.
0:40:47 > 0:40:48Let's go.
0:40:48 > 0:40:51Bit of a magician, Eric. Wonderful.
0:40:54 > 0:40:58It's very sad to think that seabirds like the Arctic tern
0:40:58 > 0:41:01could soon be lost as a breeding species -
0:41:01 > 0:41:04they'll still visit, but not stay to breed.
0:41:04 > 0:41:07Unfortunately, we aren't suddenly going to be able to reverse
0:41:07 > 0:41:09the effects of climate change,
0:41:09 > 0:41:11so there's very little we can do to help.
0:41:21 > 0:41:24But there is a team of RSPB researchers,
0:41:24 > 0:41:28who are involved with some extremely exciting new science.
0:41:30 > 0:41:32Until now, we've known very little
0:41:32 > 0:41:36about what our seabirds do once they leave their colony.
0:41:36 > 0:41:38So these researchers are fitting birds
0:41:38 > 0:41:41with small electronic tags
0:41:41 > 0:41:43to work out where they're going to feed during the day,
0:41:43 > 0:41:47how far they go, how long they spend fishing.
0:41:49 > 0:41:53The data they're gathering is giving us some remarkable new insights
0:41:53 > 0:41:55into the lives of our seabirds,
0:41:55 > 0:41:59which in the future may enable us to do something to help.
0:42:05 > 0:42:08I've come to meet Andy Knight from the RSPB
0:42:08 > 0:42:10here in Orkney to find out more.
0:42:12 > 0:42:16Some of the results already here. What does this one show us?
0:42:16 > 0:42:19Yes, if you look at this one, this is a shag.
0:42:19 > 0:42:22And you can see from here there's a lot of activity there.
0:42:22 > 0:42:24So this is all in a 24-hour period.
0:42:24 > 0:42:26So there's obviously a lot of to-ing and fro-ing.
0:42:26 > 0:42:29To give you an idea of scale, this is on Copinsay
0:42:29 > 0:42:32and that island's what, half a mile long?
0:42:32 > 0:42:34So it's travelling very little distance at all.
0:42:34 > 0:42:38Shag doing pretty well. They're a generalist feeder,
0:42:38 > 0:42:41so they can feed on pretty much any species they want,
0:42:41 > 0:42:44as long as they can get it in their mouth.
0:42:44 > 0:42:46And the chicks don't mind what they get.
0:42:46 > 0:42:47They regurgitate the fish,
0:42:47 > 0:42:50so doesn't matter whether it's a big or small fish, it's just mush.
0:42:50 > 0:42:54So that's the shag, and it's doing fairly well.
0:42:54 > 0:42:57But what about this one?
0:42:57 > 0:43:00Yeah, now this one is kittiwake.
0:43:01 > 0:43:03This is a plunge feeder.
0:43:03 > 0:43:05It's a different way of feeding to the shag.
0:43:05 > 0:43:07So it can only get food from the surface.
0:43:07 > 0:43:10It can only bring back one fish at a time, the sand eel,
0:43:10 > 0:43:13it can't choose which, it would just be sand eels.
0:43:13 > 0:43:17And you can instantly see that there's quite a difference there.
0:43:17 > 0:43:21In the other map there, Copinsay filled your image there.
0:43:21 > 0:43:24Here, Copinsay is just a dot,
0:43:24 > 0:43:26you can't even make it out on the map.
0:43:26 > 0:43:29You've got most of the rest of northeast Scotland,
0:43:29 > 0:43:30all the way down to Aberdeen here,
0:43:30 > 0:43:35the ferry time from Aberdeen to Orkney is eight hours,
0:43:35 > 0:43:37so that's a long way.
0:43:37 > 0:43:41Well, that must be travelling what, over 100 miles here, isn't it?
0:43:41 > 0:43:42Would you say?
0:43:42 > 0:43:44Way more. Several hundred kilometres.
0:43:44 > 0:43:46To get one fish?
0:43:46 > 0:43:48To eventually bring one fish back.
0:43:48 > 0:43:52One fish back to the chick. Is that usual? Is that what you'd expect?
0:43:52 > 0:43:56As an ecologist, it's absolutely not what you'd expect.
0:43:56 > 0:43:59So it's having to go and find where those sand eels are.
0:43:59 > 0:44:02And to breed successfully, you would expect it to travel
0:44:02 > 0:44:05just a short distance to bring fish regularly back.
0:44:05 > 0:44:08And, in this case, it obviously isn't managing that.
0:44:08 > 0:44:12So there on that map, we can see why the kittiwakes are in trouble.
0:44:12 > 0:44:15They're having to travel an enormous distance.
0:44:17 > 0:44:21But there's something else positive here, maybe in the long term,
0:44:21 > 0:44:26because it seems to be sort of stopping in specific areas.
0:44:26 > 0:44:30It does, and the research is, that's really the purpose of it,
0:44:30 > 0:44:33to find out exactly where these birds are feeding,
0:44:33 > 0:44:39we can identify where the key feeding areas are and from that,
0:44:39 > 0:44:41that will help us to determine in the future
0:44:41 > 0:44:45how we protect these sea areas for the long-term benefit of these birds.
0:44:45 > 0:44:49Not just the places where they nest, but the places where they feed,
0:44:49 > 0:44:51which is something we just didn't know before.
0:44:54 > 0:44:56We're pretty good at protecting our seabirds on land.
0:44:56 > 0:44:59We've created nature reserves
0:44:59 > 0:45:02at many of the larger seabird breeding colonies.
0:45:02 > 0:45:07But seabirds spend most of their lives out at sea
0:45:08 > 0:45:11so if we're really going to help them,
0:45:11 > 0:45:15ideally, we need to start protecting them out there too.
0:45:20 > 0:45:22The hope is research like this
0:45:22 > 0:45:26will allow us to identify feeding hotspots in the ocean,
0:45:26 > 0:45:30which one day we can designate as new Marine Nature Reserves.
0:45:33 > 0:45:37But this is not a simple story.
0:45:37 > 0:45:40While many of our seabirds, like the kittiwake,
0:45:40 > 0:45:44are experiencing sharp declines, others are doing much better.
0:45:45 > 0:45:48Bass Rock, off the east coast of Scotland,
0:45:48 > 0:45:54hosts around 20% of the entire world population of Northern gannets.
0:45:54 > 0:45:58And the colony is expanding every year.
0:45:59 > 0:46:06Since 2001, numbers have gone from 42,000 breeding pairs,
0:46:06 > 0:46:10to well over 55,000, good news.
0:46:10 > 0:46:13Here on Orkney, it's a similar situation.
0:46:15 > 0:46:19I'm back with Eric, who's brought me to Noup Head.
0:46:21 > 0:46:26From time immemorial, the only gannet colony in Orkney
0:46:26 > 0:46:29was on Sule Stack, 40 miles out into the Atlantic that way.
0:46:29 > 0:46:34And then in 2003, two new colonies suddenly sprung up,
0:46:34 > 0:46:36on the little island of Sule Skerry,
0:46:36 > 0:46:37which is about five miles from the Stack,
0:46:37 > 0:46:43and here on the Noup, just out of the blue, three nests were found.
0:46:43 > 0:46:47That was 2003. By 2009, there were 500 nests here.
0:46:47 > 0:46:49They just went up like a rocket.
0:46:49 > 0:46:52And now, this year, we've just counted them again
0:46:52 > 0:46:55and there are 623 nests.
0:46:55 > 0:46:58So does that mean overall gannet numbers are actually increasing?
0:46:58 > 0:47:00They seem to be at the moment.
0:47:00 > 0:47:04And the reason for them coming here is possibly because
0:47:04 > 0:47:07Sule Stack got over-populated, there's about 5,000 pairs there.
0:47:07 > 0:47:11So as far as we know, at the moment this is a good news story in Orkney?
0:47:11 > 0:47:14Yes, it's one of the few in the seabird world.
0:47:14 > 0:47:17Why do you think the gannets are doing so well?
0:47:17 > 0:47:19Well, they're not totally dependent on sand eels.
0:47:19 > 0:47:21All the other birds we've been seeing
0:47:21 > 0:47:25eat almost nothing but sand eels, and if they can't get sand eels,
0:47:25 > 0:47:27then their breeding success is badly affected.
0:47:27 > 0:47:31The gannet is a big bird. It can fly long distances.
0:47:31 > 0:47:35It can hunt for food over a wide area away from the colony.
0:47:35 > 0:47:38And it can hunt on much bigger fish, things like mackerel, for example.
0:47:38 > 0:47:42And they also eat a lot of fisheries discards,
0:47:42 > 0:47:45the fish that are being thrown back into the sea off fishing vessels.
0:47:45 > 0:47:48And they're incredibly spectacular when they fish.
0:47:48 > 0:47:50- Oh, absolutely. - Thumping into the water.
0:47:50 > 0:47:53Vertical dive, from 100 feet up or more.
0:47:53 > 0:47:56Putting their wings back and just slicing through the water.
0:47:56 > 0:48:00- And what a spectacular sight that is.- Fabulous bird.
0:48:03 > 0:48:05It seems that right now
0:48:05 > 0:48:10the most successful seabirds are those capable of adapting.
0:48:10 > 0:48:14Even, in some cases, moving away from the sea itself.
0:48:16 > 0:48:18Michaela's heading to the city of Bath
0:48:18 > 0:48:23where seabirds like the herring gull and lesser black-backed gull
0:48:23 > 0:48:26are becoming an increasingly common sight.
0:48:26 > 0:48:29Listen to that noise - now that is the sound of seagulls.
0:48:29 > 0:48:31And when I was a little girl,
0:48:31 > 0:48:35if you heard that, it meant that you were in a town or city by the sea.
0:48:35 > 0:48:37But, these days, that's not the case.
0:48:37 > 0:48:43You could be anywhere in the country, even in the land-locked city of Bath.
0:48:43 > 0:48:46Today I'm meeting ornithologist Peter Rock,
0:48:46 > 0:48:50who's spent the last years studying the rise of gulls
0:48:50 > 0:48:52in our towns and cities.
0:48:53 > 0:48:57Peter, I must say, I've always found the City of Bath a very nice place.
0:48:57 > 0:49:00- Yup.- But what do the gulls find so attractive about Bath
0:49:00 > 0:49:02and other towns and cities?
0:49:02 > 0:49:05OK, now, turn your gull brain on. And have a look out there.
0:49:05 > 0:49:10And what you can see is a whole load of islands with very steep cliffs.
0:49:12 > 0:49:16That means that they're very safe. No predators.
0:49:16 > 0:49:18Hardly any disturbance.
0:49:19 > 0:49:23Our towns offer other benefits too, like street lighting
0:49:23 > 0:49:25that means they can forage later into the night.
0:49:27 > 0:49:30And, of course, there are a lot more food opportunities.
0:49:32 > 0:49:35These birds know everything there is to know about food
0:49:35 > 0:49:37within a radius of 100km of here.
0:49:37 > 0:49:41They know where restaurants are leaving their waste out.
0:49:41 > 0:49:43They know all the landfills, of course.
0:49:43 > 0:49:47They know everything they need to, which is why they're so successful.
0:49:50 > 0:49:56Seagulls are moving into our towns and cities all over the UK,
0:49:56 > 0:49:57it's not just Bath.
0:49:57 > 0:50:01It seems the places we choose to live are more and more attractive to them
0:50:01 > 0:50:03as they struggle to make a living at sea.
0:50:03 > 0:50:07Today Peter's going to be ringing some of this year's chicks.
0:50:07 > 0:50:08Grab him.
0:50:08 > 0:50:10Grab him?!
0:50:10 > 0:50:12That's it, grab him! Grab him, yeah, lovely.
0:50:14 > 0:50:18It's the best way for him to keep tabs on these urban gull populations
0:50:18 > 0:50:20and find out more about what's going on.
0:50:20 > 0:50:22So this is where we're doing our ringing?
0:50:22 > 0:50:25Shove them right up against the wall, look. That's it.
0:50:26 > 0:50:30When Peter's ringing the chicks, he also takes some measurements,
0:50:30 > 0:50:33which allow him to work out their age, sex,
0:50:33 > 0:50:35and even what species they are.
0:50:35 > 0:50:38Because when they're this young,
0:50:38 > 0:50:41lesser black-backed and herring gulls look very similar.
0:50:41 > 0:50:42I just open the wing.
0:50:42 > 0:50:45The primaries are all dark,
0:50:45 > 0:50:48and in particular that area there is darkish and plain.
0:50:48 > 0:50:51- So this is a lesser black-backed? - This is a lesser black-backed gull.
0:50:51 > 0:50:54In herring gulls, this would all be very pale
0:50:54 > 0:50:56and it would be very mottled
0:50:56 > 0:50:59and then the primaries would be brown as opposed to blackish.
0:50:59 > 0:51:02How old do you reckon this one is?
0:51:02 > 0:51:05By the size of him, six weeks.
0:51:05 > 0:51:09And I expect them at six weeks to have a wing of around about 300,
0:51:09 > 0:51:12and you can see that this one is actually 301.
0:51:12 > 0:51:16Thanks to Peter's detailed records going back decades,
0:51:16 > 0:51:20we've learnt a huge amount about the seagulls that are now living inland.
0:51:20 > 0:51:22And they're a very different bird
0:51:22 > 0:51:25from the birds we see around the coast.
0:51:25 > 0:51:29These urban gulls will never go back to the wild.
0:51:29 > 0:51:34They will always go to another urban colony, if they're female,
0:51:34 > 0:51:37or back to their own colony if they're male.
0:51:37 > 0:51:40- So an urban gull will always be an urban gull?- Yep, yeah.
0:51:40 > 0:51:43- Can I let this one go? - You certainly can, yes.
0:51:43 > 0:51:45Now, remember he can bite, but he won't bite hard.
0:51:45 > 0:51:48OK. Oh, hello, hello. Where shall I put him?
0:51:48 > 0:51:52Shove him down there, that'll be fine. Just let him go.
0:51:52 > 0:51:53OK, ready? One, two, three, go.
0:51:53 > 0:51:55Don't have to throw him, just put him down.
0:51:55 > 0:51:58Oh, he wants to stick around, this one. No, he's off!
0:51:58 > 0:52:02So Peter, urban numbers of gulls are up, rural numbers are down,
0:52:02 > 0:52:05but how is the population doing as a whole?
0:52:05 > 0:52:08What we're looking at is a decline overall in the population.
0:52:08 > 0:52:13The difference of course is that urban gulls are very successful,
0:52:13 > 0:52:15and are increasing rapidly.
0:52:15 > 0:52:18Whereas rural gulls are declining,
0:52:18 > 0:52:20and quite dramatically, too, actually.
0:52:20 > 0:52:25We're looking at a situation where, eventually, urban gulls
0:52:25 > 0:52:28will be more numerous than rural gulls.
0:52:28 > 0:52:31Urban gulls are taking over the world, you mark my words.
0:52:31 > 0:52:32Actually, I'm not joking!
0:52:32 > 0:52:34HE LAUGHS
0:52:37 > 0:52:41It seems that some of the most successful seabirds are the ones
0:52:41 > 0:52:45that have ditched the sea and headed inland for alternative food sources.
0:52:45 > 0:52:49And it's incredible how well these urban gulls are doing.
0:52:49 > 0:52:52However, if their success continues,
0:52:52 > 0:52:54it could cause them problems,
0:52:54 > 0:52:59as many local residents and councils view them as pests.
0:53:01 > 0:53:05These big birds can make a dreadful mess.
0:53:05 > 0:53:06And that terrible noise.
0:53:06 > 0:53:08GULLS CALL
0:53:08 > 0:53:12You know, all they're actually saying to each other is,
0:53:12 > 0:53:14"Come and mate with me, or get lost!"
0:53:14 > 0:53:16What a racket.
0:53:17 > 0:53:20I guess if we're going to keep enjoying seabirds in the UK,
0:53:20 > 0:53:23we ALL need to adapt.
0:53:25 > 0:53:29We're extremely fortunate that, every summer,
0:53:29 > 0:53:33eight million seabirds choose to come to our shores
0:53:33 > 0:53:34to have their young.
0:53:36 > 0:53:41Their breeding season provides us with a wonderful wildlife spectacle.
0:53:44 > 0:53:47But, of course, it all comes to an end
0:53:47 > 0:53:50when the seabirds return to the sea.
0:53:57 > 0:54:00Iolo's back on Skomer for one last time.
0:54:04 > 0:54:06It's late June,
0:54:06 > 0:54:09and we're getting to the end of the seabird breeding season.
0:54:10 > 0:54:14Some of the chicks are starting to think about fledging.
0:54:14 > 0:54:18Careful where we go, just watch your footing there.
0:54:18 > 0:54:20'But first of all, Tim's taking me to meet
0:54:20 > 0:54:23'one of the island's newest arrivals.'
0:54:23 > 0:54:27- Let's see what we've got in there. - Right, let's see what we've got.
0:54:27 > 0:54:28Ahh, what a beautiful bird.
0:54:28 > 0:54:31That's brilliant. Come on, little guy.
0:54:31 > 0:54:33How old is that, Tim?
0:54:33 > 0:54:35That's five days old, Iolo.
0:54:35 > 0:54:36- Five days! Is that all?- Yeah.
0:54:36 > 0:54:39- It's grown a lot in days, hasn't it? - Yeah, yeah.
0:54:39 > 0:54:42- We'd better weigh it. - We're going to weigh it.
0:54:42 > 0:54:44And a typical Manx shearwater beak already. That long beak.
0:54:44 > 0:54:47Oh, yes. You can already see it's a baby Manx shearwater.
0:54:47 > 0:54:50That's 135 grams.
0:54:50 > 0:54:52- Do you want me to hold him for you? - Yeah, why don't you?
0:54:52 > 0:54:55Come here, boy, get my hands nice and warm.
0:54:55 > 0:54:58Look at that, what a little beauty!
0:54:58 > 0:55:01Hey, get your head up, look, don't worry, we mean you no harm,
0:55:01 > 0:55:02I'll just keep you warm.
0:55:02 > 0:55:05And this will be in its burrow for how long now?
0:55:05 > 0:55:07Almost another 70 days.
0:55:07 > 0:55:10So it's not going to leave until mid-September?
0:55:10 > 0:55:11That's right. Early September.
0:55:11 > 0:55:13It'll be one of the last birds on the island, won't it?
0:55:13 > 0:55:16Everything, all the other seabirds pretty much will have finished
0:55:16 > 0:55:18long before the shearwaters fledge.
0:55:18 > 0:55:21And in fact, most of their parents will have gone
0:55:21 > 0:55:22by the time they fledge as well.
0:55:22 > 0:55:25And, of course, they go all the way down to South America.
0:55:25 > 0:55:26That's right, yes.
0:55:26 > 0:55:30So a journey of, what, 25,000km round trip, probably.
0:55:30 > 0:55:32Plenty of food down there for them.
0:55:32 > 0:55:34Right, I'd better give you that to put back.
0:55:34 > 0:55:37Thank you very much then, what a stunning little bird.
0:55:37 > 0:55:39Thank you for that, that's a real privilege.
0:55:39 > 0:55:44Now, Tim, we've known for quite some time that our Manx shearwaters
0:55:44 > 0:55:47go all the way down off the coast of South America,
0:55:47 > 0:55:50but what we haven't known until now, Tim,
0:55:50 > 0:55:52is where our puffins go in the winter.
0:55:53 > 0:55:57So the picture for puffin migration has been very patchy until recently,
0:55:57 > 0:56:01when we were able to use geo-location technology
0:56:01 > 0:56:05to track individual puffins using these little devices here.
0:56:05 > 0:56:06And where do they go?
0:56:06 > 0:56:09Well, it's a very interesting picture.
0:56:09 > 0:56:12The answer seems to be that they go pretty much everywhere.
0:56:12 > 0:56:13I mean, I'm exaggerating,
0:56:13 > 0:56:15but they have this highly dispersive migration.
0:56:15 > 0:56:17From Skomer, we have puffins which...
0:56:17 > 0:56:22breeding puffins which migrate out towards Greenland, beyond Greenland.
0:56:22 > 0:56:25We have some which migrate down into the Mediterranean.
0:56:25 > 0:56:29And each individual is doing something different.
0:56:29 > 0:56:31In fact, puffins from neighbouring burrows,
0:56:31 > 0:56:36who've spent the summer living just a couple of feet away from each other,
0:56:36 > 0:56:39could end up spending the winter thousands of miles apart.
0:56:45 > 0:56:48The breeding season on Skomer is drawing to a close.
0:56:48 > 0:56:52It's time for the seabirds to start heading back out to sea,
0:56:52 > 0:56:56and their chicks will soon follow them.
0:56:56 > 0:57:01For these young birds, it's a brave jump into the great blue yonder,
0:57:01 > 0:57:05but also a brave leap into a very uncertain future.
0:57:09 > 0:57:13Let's for a moment be ruthlessly realistic.
0:57:13 > 0:57:17The process of climate change is not going to stop,
0:57:17 > 0:57:18the temperature of these seas
0:57:18 > 0:57:21is going to continue to rise inexorably.
0:57:21 > 0:57:25So what's going to happen right here in Orkney, right now?
0:57:25 > 0:57:28Well, some of our seabirds, unfortunately,
0:57:28 > 0:57:30are not going to make it. They've had it.
0:57:30 > 0:57:33But I don't think those magnificent sea cliffs
0:57:33 > 0:57:36are going to fall silent.
0:57:36 > 0:57:38It's just going to be a process of change.
0:57:38 > 0:57:41The numbers are going to change, and the types of bird nesting there
0:57:41 > 0:57:44are also going to change.
0:57:44 > 0:57:48But maybe, over the centuries, that change has gone on anyway.
0:57:48 > 0:57:51We've just got to hope that some, at least,
0:57:51 > 0:57:55of our seabirds can keep pace with what's happening now.
0:57:59 > 0:58:03A lot of work is being done to find out what's going wrong
0:58:03 > 0:58:07with our seabirds, and what we can do to help them.
0:58:07 > 0:58:11But I can't urge you enough to get out and visit
0:58:11 > 0:58:15one of these seabird colonies for yourself in summer.
0:58:15 > 0:58:19The Orkneys, the Bass Rock, the Skomer Island Complex -
0:58:19 > 0:58:22these are wildlife spectacles with no compare.
0:58:22 > 0:58:24They're better than the Serengeti.
0:58:24 > 0:58:26They're better than Antarctica.
0:58:26 > 0:58:30They really are the best of British wildlife.
0:58:53 > 0:58:56Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd