'Shear' Greatness!

Much of our time over the coming weeks will be spent setting up a new study on Great Shearwaters. These were one of the birds I was most excited about when we first applied for this job. I have wanted to see a Great Shearwater for years. The vast majority breed on the islands around Tristan da Cunha. They occasionally pop up in the waters around Britain, but I’ve never managed to spot one. So when I learned that Gough is home to a million pairs, I couldn’t wait… and they certainly haven’t disappointed.

A beautifully marked Great Shearwater (David Kinchin-Smith)

One of our study birds posing for the camera (Em Witcutt)

They are in the process of laying their eggs at the moment, so tens of thousands are returning to the island every evening. Great Shearwaters nest underground in burrows, so once they have made it home they are well protected from predation and poor weather. However, when flying in from the sea, they are at risk of being predated by Skuas. To prevent this, and to keep the location of their burrows hidden from such clever adversaries, they gather in huge rafts just offshore, waiting for the cover of darkness to swoop in. As the sun sets, all of a sudden the skies are bursting with these beautiful birds, bowling past one another with inches to spare. It is one of the most impressive seabird spectacles I have ever been lucky enough to witness. 

One of the greatest seabird gatherings on earth (David Kinchin-Smith)

Home Sweet Home (David Kinchin-Smith)

While the population of Great Shearwaters is healthy, they do face threats. Similarly to many of our Albatross species, they are often drowned after diving for bait set by long-line fishing boats and being caught on the hooks. It is thought that almost every bird will have indigestible plastic in its stomach after mistaking it for food when fishing. Here on Gough they also have to contend with our killer House Mice, who have learned what easy meals seabird chicks are and take full advantage of their lack of defences. To ensure that these stunning creatures continue to flourish on these islands, we need to know as much as possible about them in order to properly protect them. This study will allow individual birds to be tracked for the next year, which will give us important information about their migration and feeding habits. It is an exciting study to be a part of, and gives us the perfect excuse to spend time with such incredible birds. This week we have been looking into their burrows with our ‘burrow-cam’ to find the birds who will be taking part, and to check on the progress of the breeding season so far. The outlook looks promising; the ground seems to be brimming with birds, and many are incubating eggs already. We’ll be keeping you updated on their progress in later posts.

Sneaking a peek with our 'burrow-cam' (Em Witcutt)

Caught on camera (Em Witcutt)

Em