Rockabill Nest Census Results 2019

One of the most important numbers for any breeding seabird colony is the number of nests present that year. As the season gets closer to an end we have now complied our final nest numbers. As mentioned in previous blogs, we had an initial nest census on the 7^th to the 10^th of June and then a second on the 16^th to he 18^th of June where additional nests were added into our tallies. 

For this season, we have had:

·         69 breeding pairs of Black Guillemot.

·         167 breeding pairs of Black-Legged Kittiwakes.

·         18 Arctic Tern pairs, with 35 eggs.

·         1,833 Common Tern pairs, with 4,560 eggs.

·         1,564 Roseate Tern pairs, with 698 nesting in boxes, and 866 with open nests, and 2,807 eggs laid on the island as of the 18^th of June.

Eggs laid after the 18^th of June date are not counted towards the total as many of them would be relays of failed nests and do not represent an additional breeding pair.

A recently hatched Roseate Tern chick (left) and fully-grown Roseate Tern fledgling (right). (L. Gill, photos taken under NPWS license)

A recently hatched Common Tern chick (left) and fully-grown Common Tern fledgling (right). (L. Gill, photos taken under NPWS license)

A recently hatched Arctic Tern chick (left) and fully-grown Arctic Tern fledgling (right). (L. Gill, photos taken under NPWS license)

A Black Guillemot chick only a couple of days old (left) and fully-grown and ready to fledge (right). (E. Tiernan & B. Burke, photos taken under NPWS license)

A Kittiwake chick only a couple of days old (left) and Kittiwake having recently fledged (right). (L. Gill & B. Burke, photos taken under NPWS license)