Arctics Roll!

Hello world! (Graeme Duncan)

Enjoying the sunshine! (Graeme Duncan)

Taking shelter! (Graeme Duncan)

Lazy Puffin! More chicks hatching every day (Ciaran Hatsell)

Caption anyone?! (Ciaran Hatsell)

Friday 14^th June comments: They’re hatching!

Yes, the reason for all that head pecking and projectile pooing has finally become apparent, the Arctic Tern chicks are here! The first eggs hatched yesterday and the chicks got their very first glimpse of Planet Farnes! As long as the weather stays fine and the food supply is strong (which it seems to be!), life as an Arctic Tern chick can be rosy. All they have to do is put on as much weight as possible in a short space of time, which basically means sitting around in the sun waiting to be fed!

So that first few weeks must seem like absolute heaven to them! Little do they know that after just a couple of months they will be embarking on the longest annual migration of any bird in the world! A trip down to their wintering grounds in Antarctica is the challenge they face. Weeks spent out at sea battling huge storms and monstrous seas means that Arctic Terns have to be tough. Some adults can reach the ripe old age of thirty years and beyond and with an annual migration of around 43,000 miles, those birds will travel at least 1 million miles just migrating to and from their breeding grounds! Impressive stuff!

So from little bundles of fluff, they will soon grow into lean mean migrating machines, making them arguably one of the toughest seabirds out there! In other news, our Puffin colony is boasting more and more chicks by the day, so why not get yourself out and see what the Farnes has to offer, it really is a special place to see Britain’s most spectacular wildlife!