Guillemot breeding success at Carrickfergus Harbour

Council staff took to the seas in March 2015 to install a number of guillemot boxes around Carrickfergus Harbour. There were a number of guillemots located at the Harbour but limited sites suitable for nesting.

The nest boxes were kindly donated by Peter Scott, Senior Berthing Master at Bangor Mania, who is involved in a similar guillemot nest box scheme in Bangor. The nest boxes are designed specifically for guillemots and the entrances are too small for other birds in the area, such as seagulls, to use.

We now have a pair of guillemots nesting at Carrickfergus Harbour in one of the newly installed nest boxes and they appear to be feeding chicks. Excellent news!

Black guillemots are a species of Auk. Adult birds have black bodies with a white wing patch and red legs and feet. They eat fish and crustaceans and make their nests among boulders at the base of cliffs, in rock crevices and in man made structures, such as piers. The species is currently Amber-listed due to concerns over the decline in population. The main limiting factor for these birds is safe, secure nesting places, which is why guillemot boxes are important to the species.

For more information on biodiversity in Mid and East Antrim please click here