Kittiwake - 1949

Rissa tridactyla tridactyla

Abundant resident on Ramsey, Skomer, Grassholm, and south mainland cliffs (at Flimston etc).  In 1946 there were c.1900 pairs on Skomer, and 115 pairs on Grassholm.  It has never bred on Skokholm, but does so on St Margaret's Island.

R.M.Lockley, G.C.S.Ingram, H.M.Salmon, 1949, The Birds of Pembrokeshire, The West Wales Field Society

Kittiwake - 2003-07

Kittiwakes nest in dense colonies on ledges of vertical cliffs.  Although now almost totally confined to the islands of Skomer, St Margaret’s, Grassholm and Ramsey, they were formerly very common coastal breeding gulls, especially along the Castlemartin coastline to Stackpole Head. Kittiwakes have never nested on Skokholm.

These changes in the breeding colony sizes and distribution have been dramatic and largely remain unexplained, for whilst the Skomer population has remained relatively stable at around 2,200 pairs, other colonies have disappeared completely. In the period following the Seabird survey of 1985-87  the thriving colony on St Margaret’s Island reduced from well over 300 pairs to just 6 in 2000, and then increased again to over 300 in 2009.  This quite rapid change must include some birds which have moved from other breeding sites. Along the Castlemartin peninsula a population of around 700 pairs during 1984-88 had declined to about 30 pairs by 2007.

Overall the Kittiwake population has declined significantly in the county in recent times.  Between 1969-1970 and 1985-1987 surveys the county population increased from 3,037 to 3,935 pairs but had subsequently declined to around 3,100 pairs in 2000 and had probably a similar population total in the period 2003 to 2007.

The breeding success on Skomer is variable with productivity ranging between 0.30 and 1.01 chicks per pair but generally near to 0.5.  It is a low level of success and there is a “feeling” that, as at many other colonies around Britain in the first decade of the 2000’s, Pembrokeshire colonies have suffered breeding failure and a rapidly declining population is just about “hanging on”.

Steve Sutcliffe

 

Fieldwork 2003-07 (based on 490 tetrads)

Red = breeding confirmed = 6 (1.2%)

Kittiwake - 1994

Breeding resident and passage migrant

There has been little change in Kittiwake breeding distribution in Pembrokeshire since Mathew's (1894) time; he described it as an abundant resident but did not include St Margaret's Island among his sites. Lockley et al. (1949) agreed with Mathew's assessment but added St Margaret's.

Since then, colony sizes have fluctuated with an overall population growth of about 23% between 1969-1970, when Operation Seafarer recorded 3,037 pairs, and 1985-1987, when the Seabird Register found 3,935 pairs. Just over half breed on Skomer and a good series of counts from there illustrates the nature of the increase (see Table 18).

The colonies are occupied in early March, after sporadic visits, and deserted by late August/ early September. There is a large through passage past Strumble Head between September and December, with many more passing than could be accounted for by the local colonies; examples include 18,000 on 20 October 1984, 24,000 on 14 October 1987 and 30,000 on 9 November 1985. These movements may well involve birds from Scotland, and possibly from Scandinavia, Iceland and Greenland, for a kittiwake ringed at Penally on 4 March 1982 was shot in Thule, Greenland, on 24 June 1985.

Small numbers feed around the mainland coast during the winter with larger groups further offshore, an example being 300 at the Smalls in January and February 1984.

Normally, Kittiwakes are only seen inside the estuaries during stormy weather, such as on 21 December 1986, when 100 were seen in fishguard Harbour sheltering from a gale.  Hence Lloyd's observation of "a fair number haunting the Milford Docks quay for fish offal" on 22 May 1926 becomes of great interest, for they have not been seen doing this in recent years when the fishing industry has considerably declined.

Fieldwork 1984-88 (based on 478 tetrads)

Red = breeding confirmed = 7

Total tetrads in which registered = 7 (1.5%)

Donovan J.W. & Rees G.H (1994), Birds of Pembrokeshire

Kittiwake - 1970s breeding

Red = breeding confirmed

Orange = breeding probable

Yellow = breeding possible

Kittiwake - 1980s winter atlas

The BTO winter atlas showed that Kittiwakes were present in six coastal and one estuarine 10km squares during the winters of 1981-82, 1982-82 and 1983-84.

The darker the colour, the higher the relative total count for each 10km square.  The darkest blue represents over 43 birds, numerical presence varying with the strength of onshore winds.

Graham Rees 

Kittiwake - 1894

Species account from M Mathew, 1894, "The Birds of Pembrokeshire and its islands"

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