The St. George Seabird Intern team re-sighted the red-legged kittiwakes again today. After three hours watching for banded birds, we ended up with eight birds with colored bands, and three of these were carrying geolocators.
There were a few more birds on the cliff, but most birds were just sitting around. Very few copulations were observed, and there was no sign of nest-building.
Red-legged kittiwakes are usually looking more serious about breeding at this time of year.
Are the birds arriving in poor condition after their winter out at sea? Are local foraging conditions poor? How do they decide if it’s worth the effort to breed? Is the decision on whether to lay eggs communicated among birds, and how?
Phew, lots of questions!
We’ll stay tuned to find out if the kittiwakes will breed this year.