Luke writes:
The breeding season here has finally peaked, and we are seeing a drop in the rate of births on the colony. Nevertheless, there are still a few births every day, and we’ve been trying our best to record them. It is amazing to see how quickly the pups adapt once they’re born. They can be pecked quite viciously by gulls looking for a quick meal, but most can look after themselves! The mothers will also staunchly defend their newborns, and we’ve seen what can happen to the gulls if they are not fast enough…a few have broken wings. The pups seem to race to see how much weight they can gain before weaning. This weight gain is astonishing, with pups averaging around 15kgs when they’re born and anything up to 55kgs when they’re weaned around 18 days later. The mothers then return to sea, leaving the fat little ‘weaners’ on their own. We’re beginning to see the first of these weaners, who will hang around the colony for a few weeks before heading to sea themselves. Amelia pictured one of the first weaners yesterday.
Des and mum are right up the slope near the top of the hill, and looking good. Another pic will follow soon.
A note from Charlotte: Happy Anniversary to her mum and dad, Helen and Peter. Hope you go out to celebrate somewhere nice.