2000 Miles from Anywhere...: Gonydale's Greys

At this stage of the season we're almost running out of new species to introduce to the blog. But here's another.......the Grey Petrel! Gonydale may well be the home of the Tristan Albatrosses above ground, but beneath their very large, webbed feet are a honeycombed network of burrows belonging to our Grey Petrels (as well as a number of other burrow-nesting species but we'll keep it simple for now).

When we arrived in September 2016 it was to see the final few fledglings emerge from their burrows and fly out to sea, therefore drawing the previous season to a close. The new season didn't really begin until a few months into 2017, and we only discovered our first eggs in mid-March. Eggs started hatching in May and now many burrows across Gonydale have a fluffy chick at the bottom of them.

What makes Gough really special is the fact that we have these winter breeding seabirds as well as those that nest in the summer. Neither Em or I had worked on a seabird colony with seabirds nesting in all 12 months of the year, used to the UK where seabirds are confined to the spring and summer months. By nesting in the winter, Grey Petrels don't have such an abundant food supply compared to the feeding in the summer, but there is less competition from other species. Gough's waters remain rich throughout the year, making it possible for these species to nest at a seemingly inhospitable time. However, perhaps due to this slightly less predictable foraging, the period between hatching and fledging for the chick is highly variable. It could take our fluffy balls just three months from hatching until they emerge from their burrows, or it could take as long as five!

Greys are a very smart, silvery-grey petrel, and when we camp in the mountains we are lulled to sleep by their other-worldy, rattling call. When down at Base, come the evenings, it is possible to watch the Greys flying back in, circling a number of times to gain the height needed to reach their burrows. Because of their fairly protracted breeding season, there will probably be a few fledglings from this year ready to greet the new Gough 63 team come September.

They are great birds, and one of our favourites!