Manx Shearwater

"Puffinus Puffinus ". (Family - Procellariidae ) ,
Birds returning to Skomer / Stockholm Islands .
Visible from many Pembrokeshire Headlands , ( Strumble , St David's Head , smaller numbers at Lydstep , St Govan's , St Ann's Head) / Early Morning and Evening .

Feeds on Fish, especially herrings, sardines and sprats / it has long straight slim wings, and is black above and white below / It flies with a series of rapid stiff-winged flaps followed by long glides on stiff straight wings over the surface of the sea, occasionally banking or 'shearing' / It breeds in colonies on offshore islands where it is safe from rats and other ground predators .
In the 1600s, plump young Shearwaters, known as ‘puffins’ or ‘puffings’ , from their plump and fatty nature / were taken for food , They were extracted from burrows with iron hooks, killed and preserved in salt for later boiling .
A breeding Summer Visitor / Manx shearwaters return to the colonies during March, occupying burrows in which a single egg will be laid in late April / early May, 1 Brood , Incubation period of 51 days with fledging in 72 days . One of the breeding Adults forages for food at sea , returning to the burrow at dusk .
Manx Shearwaters have tube-shaped nostrils that excrete salt taken in with seawater. Both male and female are similar in appearance. Their wings are very slender and positioned almost at right-angles to the body when in full flight. The position of their wings allow them to soar with maximum efficiency, meaning they are able to travel vast distances . Like all shearwaters and petrels , they are marine birds which spend their lives on the open ocean , except when breeding .
In early September , a journey of several weeks duration to the Atlantic fishing grounds , 6,000 miles away off the coasts of Brazil , Uruguay and the Argentine , where they spend the winter .
Typical Lifespan 15 years .