This fluffy little chick has given conservationists cause to celebrate after it was found pecking around in Westcountry undergrowth.
The baby storm petrel is the first of its species ever recorded on Lundy Island, off the North Devon coast, and its discovery has provided further evidence that the island’s seabird protection project is making progress.
Bird ringers Luke Phillips, Tony John and Tony Taylor – all members of Lundy Field Society – came across the tiny chick while searching for manx shearwater hatchlings in a west coast colony, and were amazed at the find.
“We saw a small dark shape moving in the bracken and as we approached, we quickly realised it was a storm petrel,” explained Mr phillips.
“We realised it was a very special one indeed when we picked it up and found its belly was coated in down,” added Mr Taylor. “This was certainly my most special Lundy moment in the past 40 years.”
Lundy’s seabirds are protected by its designation as a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
But a gradual decline in bird numbers prompted residents and conservationist to establish the island’s Seabird Recovery Project to improve conditions for breeding.
The scheme was initially targeted at boosting puffin and manx shearwater populations by reducing the local rat population, which are a known predator for burrow nesting birds.
However, Lundy warden, Beccy MacDonald, said there were always hopes that it would encourage other bird species on the island.
“We’ve been celebrating the success of the Seabird Recovery Project through news of the large increases in our Manx Shearwater and Puffin populations and hoped that one day we would find a Storm Petrel chick,” she said.
“We are ecstatic at the news that these wonderful seabirds have begun breeding on Lundy.”
A small, black and white bird, adult storm petrels usually weigh less than 30g and retreat to nests located in burrows at night to avoid predators.
Nik Ward, of Natural England, said their discovery on Lundy “adds another significant species to the list for this important colony”.
National Trust’s head of conservation, David Bullock, also recognised the importance of the find.
“I have been visiting Lundy for over 20 years, including in the dark days when rats were everywhere, shearwaters were rare and storm petrels non-existent,” he said.
“The discovery is the first evidence we have that indicates this beautiful bird of the ocean is now on the island.”
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