Fledging weights of Atlantic Puffins Fratercula arctica on Sule Skerry, Scotland, with reference to a relatively poor season in 2005

Abstract

The weights and wing lengths of fledgling Atlantic Puffins Fratercula arctica on the island of Sule Skerry, Scotland were recorded in eight seasons between 1982 and 2005. Chicks in 2005 were notably underweight compared to previous years. Measurements of 38 chicks over a period of 21 days showed that chicks grew very slowly and that fledging success was low. These findings and the records of pipefish (Sygnathidae) in the diet, suggest that conditions were unusually poor for Atlantic Puffins at Sule Skerry in 2005.