Feb 18th 2026 on Horn Rock > 1st Cahow chick of season revealed!
“I have been trying to squeeze in checks of the Cahow nesting islands when weather conditions and other work responsibilities allow. On the 15th Feb. I spent much of Sunday afternoon checking nest burrows on Horn Rock, seeing the first pips in eggshells in at least 3 nests as the hatching process began. On 18th Feb., I was able to land again on Horn Rock and confirm the first chick of 2026, being brooded by the male bird (band no. E0265) in the C30 nest and only about 24 hours old (see photo). I was also able to check the few remaining nests I had not been able to look at on the previous check, and it looks like there are at least 29 nests with fertile, hatched or hatching eggs on this islet.
Meanwhile, on Nonsuch Island, I believe that there are at least 3 chicks that have already hatched, although I have not been able to make a detailed check there in over a week. On my last check, there were 25-27 nests with fertile eggs, giving us a real chance of equaling or exceeding the record number of 25 fledged chicks from 2024. This included the R824 nest, with its fertile egg being incubated by the male C0896 Cahow (pictured).
Note: it was great to have sunny conditions for the Horn Rock check on the 18th Feb, when I was not only able to see my first 4 Longtails (White-tailed Tropicbirds) of 2026, but was also treated to 3 Snow Buntings, blown in by the recent winter storms - a crazy mix of tundra and tropical species!”
Jeremy Madeiros | Chief Terrestrial Conservation Officer Department of the Environment and Natural Resources
“We have a backlog of videos being edited from prior visits, so stay tuned for the fist check of Nonsuch Colony “B” and updates from CahowCam2 and the ongoing “Who’s the Daddy” saga…”
J-P Rouja | Nonsuch Expeditions Founder