This week we’re krazy about kittiwakes, as they are back at the Baltic in the Newcastle Gateshead quayside, the world’s most inland breeding site!
Discover:
What are the kittiwakes up to? Are they having a nap or tidying their nests? How many eggs have they laid? Are there any chicks? You can click here to watch them and find out on our live kittiwake cam!
If you would like to find out more about the kittiwakes who come to the River Tyne each year to breed and nest, have a look at the Kittiwakes on the Tyne leaflet.
What do kittiwakes eat? Find out by having a go at our Kittiwakes: Who Eats What? Activity sheet and make your own kittiwake food chain mobile. Click on the image below to open the sheet:
Explore:
Kittiwakes spend most of the year out at sea, only coming ashore to breed between February and August, and the Newcastle Gateshead quayside is the most inland breeding and nesting site in the world! As they are seabirds, they still head out to sea to hunt for food. Make your own Tyne Kittiwake Map with our activity sheet.
Let’s go out for a feather forage! Have a look in your garden or when you go to the park or out for a walk, and see if you can find some feathers. Birds have four different types of feathers, and they all have their own purposes, some are for warmth, some to steer in flight. Collect some feathers and use our Feather Forage activity sheet to identify what types of feathers you have found! Make sure you wash your hands after handling them, or wear some gloves.
Do:
Get creative and colour in our Kittiwake colouring sheet, click the picture below to download a PDF sheet to print out:
Find some of the key words we’ve been using in this Kittiwake Wordsearch:
If you have been watching the Kittiwake cam and would like to send us a drawing or painting of the birds nesting, eggs and chicks, please email it to mail@durhamwt.co.uk
