Here is a brief summary of the Cahow nesting season so far:
As of March 19th, 2022, all viable eggs have now hatched in the Cahow nesting islands; I have been visiting as many of the breeding colonies as possible to get an idea of the number of hatched chicks at each site, as compared to the total number of nesting pairs which have produced eggs this year.
Although the final tally is not yet complete, this is what we know at this point:
Nonsuch Island: 16 hatched chicks (previous Nonsuch record was 13 chicks in 2021), out of 31 active breeding pairs.
Green Island: 17 hatched chicks (previous record 13 chicks), out of 26 active breeding pairs.
Horn Rock: 28 hatched chicks out of 49 active breeding pairs
Inner Pear Rock: 8 hatched chicks confirmed so far from 14 out of 21 active breeding pairs checked to date.
Long Rock: 7 hatched chicks out of 13 active breeding pairs.
Southampton Island: Not checked yet.
As of this date, it looks like there are at least 75-76 confirmed chicks, compared to the record number of 73 successfully fledged chicks in 2019; there were 69 in 2020, and 71 in 2021.
Although the numbers will be adjusted as the deeper natural nests can be confirmed, and not all chicks may make it to fledging, so far it looks like we have a very good chance of setting a new record number of fledged chicks for the 2022 season.
Jeremy Madeiros | Principle Scientist - Terrestrial Conservation | Dept. of Environment and Natural Resources | BERMUDA