Kittiwakes

The kittiwake is the smallest of the British gulls to breed on Ramsey Island, and one of the only visitors to build a proper nest. This enables them to raise two or occasionally even three young, unlike the auks which, for obvious reasons, can only raise one chick. Nests are an elaborate affair, made of wet grasses, seaweed and often mud, which they stick to the rock ledges with guano and saliva. They are a true ’seagull’ in the sense that they only come to land to breed, spending their winters at sea, and they will never be found far from the coast. Kittiwakes are heavily predated upon by the gulls and peregrines. Their numbers are sadly declining due to ocean warming, which is causing their food sources to move further north.