As the kittiwakes at Splash Point start to leave the cliff face that has been their home for the past few months, Kate Whitton, Date With Nature organiser at RSPB South East, gives us an update on their progress:
'Although we didn't manage to do a colony count this year, from what we could see the kittiwakes seem to have had a good crop of youngsters, with many adults fledging at least one chick.
Unlike last year, the heat doesn't seem to have affected them too much this year - which is a relief, although the crows were seen on many occasions harrying the chicks as they sat in their nests.
But it hasn't all been kittiwakes - we have had wonderful views of a peregrine family. Two adults have been stooping off the cliff, and their two youngsters have been alarming the colony, sometimes preventing adult kittiwakes from landing back on the cliff by sitting on the kittiwake nests!
We have had sightings of gannet and common scoter from our viewpoint, as well as watching the antics of nesting rock pipits.
The kittiwake youngsters were mostly fully grown by mid-July, and the whole colony seemed to be ready to depart back out to sea by the end of our time here.
I'm sure that this year they started to nest a bit earlier than normal, as when we started the project there weren't lots of fluffy chicks. Instead, many chicks were already starting to grow their adult feathers.
We've had a really great time watching the kittiwakes - thanks to all of you who came and said 'hi'. And for those who didn't make it down our way - we hope to see you in 2010.'