Shag

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The Shag (don't laugh) is hard to tell apart from a Cormorant as both can be seen on the coast, though Shags are rarely seen inland. They are mainly in the north and west of Britain, and more than half of their population is found at fewer than 10 sites, making them a Red Listed species. Like Cormorants, the Shag will often perch on rocks with outstretched wings. This pose is used for drying their wings after diving, as their feathers are only partly waterproof.

Shags are slimmer than Cormorants and have a steep forehead. They are a dark green-black with a crest when in breeding plumage and have a fine black bill with a yellow base and a small white patch on their chin. Youngsters are browner than adults, Shags are mostly silent, only making clicks and grunts at their nests. They do a gradual moult over many months, allowing them to always fly.

Shags are one of the deepest divers among the Cormorant family and can reach depths of 60m as they find their prey. They eat a wide range of fish, including herring and cod, but their favourite food is sand eels. Shags will travel many kilometres to feed. They often dive with an upward leap to help them get to the bottom.

The nest is built on rocky ledges at the bottom of a sheltered cliff site, often within a small colony. The male selects a suitable spot and both birds build the nest from a heap of seaweed and vegetation cemented together with poo (yuk!) The 1-6 eggs are laid between March and May, and hatch after 30 days. The chicks are born without down and rely totally on mum and dad for warmth. It can be up to 53 days before they can fly. They are cared for by both parents for another 50 days until finally leaving home. Shags seldom move far from their breeding area. The youngsters won't breed themselves for 3 years.

Britain has about 10% of the world's breeding Shag population with about 30,000 pairs. With their fishing from the surface of the sea, the major threat to Shags is oil spills and loss of fish stocks. Typically a Shag will live for 15 years.

Their Latin name is 'gulosus aristotelis' where 'gulosus' is from the Latin for 'glutton'. 'Aristotelis' is from the Greek philosopher Aristotle, though Shags aren't very wise. There are two other species of Shag. One is found in the Mediterranean and the other in Africa. They differ slightly in bill size and breast colour. The English name comes from its breeding crest, Shag being an old name that means 'tufted'. Another name is 'Green Cormorants' from the green sheen on their feathers.

Fulmar

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The Fulmar is a small 'tubenose' gull related to the much bigger Albatross. It is often seen riding the up draughts at its cliff face breeding site. They defend their nests from predators by spitting out a foul-smelling oil that not only stinks but can also kill. The oil is made in their stomachs and is a high-energy food source for chicks and for adults on long flights. The Fulmars seen in Britain are called the 'Northern Fulmar' to distinguish them from the bigger 'Southern Fulmar' found in Antarctica.

Fulmars look gull-like with thick necks and tubed nostrils that stand out. The specially adapted noses help them remove salt from their bodies, allowing them to happily drink seawater. They are white with a grey back, rump and tail. There is a dark smudge around the eye. They fly low over the sea on stiff wings, followed by a rapid series of shallow wing beats, gliding and banking to alternately show their white underparts and grey upperparts. Fulmars are mainly silent apart from a cackling call when nesting. Like a Swift, a Fulmar cannot stand or walk. They are built for flying or bobbing about on the sea with their tails held up.

Flocks of Fulmars will feed out at sea, often near fishing boats, feasting on the fish waste that is thrown overboard. They also plunge dive to eat shrimp, fish, squid, plankton and jellyfish.

Fulmars breed all around Britain and a Fulmar pair, who stay together for life, will use the same nest site year after year. The single egg is laid in May on a cliff ledge or rooftop with little other nest material. Both parents carefully look after it until it hatches 50 days later. The chick is fed by mum and dad and can fly after 45 days, becoming fully independent soon after though mum keeps an eye on it for the first two weeks. The youngster will then spend several years at sea, miles from land, and won't breed until it is 6 years old.

There are about 500,000 Fulmar pairs in Britain and numbers are slowly increasing, helped by the fishing industry and the offal thrown from boats. On the flip side, this makes them vulnerable to any changes in fishing practices. A Fulmar can live to be over 30 years old and have lots of stories about how the people of St Kilda tried to eat him.

Their Latin name is 'fulmarus glacialis' where 'fulmarus' comes from the Old Norse 'fulmar' meaning 'foul-mew' or 'foul-gull' because of the bird's habit of spitting out its foul-smelling oil. The English name has the same source. The 'glacialis' part comes from the Latin for 'icy'.

Manx Shearwater

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The Manx Shearwater, apart from having a cool name, is a bird of the open ocean, only coming ashore to nest and, even then, only after dark. They are clumsy and vulnerable on land, so darkness saves them from predators. Vikings in long boats heard the weird calls of this little bird and thought they were evil spirits. They travel thousands of miles every year to nest in their hobbit-like burrows and raise one super fluffy chick between March and July.

The Manx Shearwater is black above and white below, has a small head with a black cap extending below the eye, a long slim dark hooked bill, and a white underwing with a dark border. They fly with rapid beats of their stiff wings and long glides close to the waves, often flying in a straight line and flashing black and white as they turn. They make 'wheezy chicken' howls and screams from their burrows at night as they tell ghost stories.

They feed alone or in small flocks on fish and other marine creatures, which they take from the surface or by shallow dives. More of a duck-like snorkelling bird than the scuba diving Guillemot or the torpedo Gannet. Their favourite food includes herrings, sardines, sprats and squid. They have an extremely sensitive sense of smell and can detect fish many miles away.

The Manx Shearwater nests in old rabbit or Puffin burrows on isolated islands, in large colonies - often numbering in the thousands. The single white egg is incubated by mum and dad taking it in turns to sit for 6 days before swapping over. They need the time to travel to offshore feeding grounds which can be as far as 900 miles away. The egg hatches after a long 51 days and the young chick is fed on pre-digested food. After 60 days, mum and dad eventually tire of feeding the huge youngster and putting up with its messy bedroom, abandoning it to sort its life out and lose a bit of weight so it can fit through the door. The youngster gets the hint and leaves the burrow 8 or 9 days later after a crash diet. It then starts a long journey to winter in South America! The youngster will not breed until it is 5 years old, though a Manx Shearwater can live to an amazing 50 years old.

They are the most common shearwater seen in Britain, mainly on our western coasts. About 300,000 pairs breed here, 80% of the world's population. Their numbers are thought to be stable but the Manx Shearwater is difficult to survey accurately - being at sea during the day and in their burrows at night. Many of the offshore islands they use are now protected. In 2008, a Manx Shearwater that nested on Bardsey Island in Wales was more than 50 years old and estimated to have flown about 5 million miles in its lifetime.

Their Latin name is 'puffinus puffinus' where 'puffinus' derives from 'puffin' which referred to the cured carcass of a Shearwater, a former delicacy. The term however switched and came to be used for the Atlantic Puffin. The English name is from the 'shearing' way they fly and a nest site on the Isle of Man, hence 'Manx Shearwater'. Local names include 'Devil Bird' from the eerie howls and shrieks they make at night. Shearwaters are 'tubenoses', a bird group that includes Fulmars and Storm Petrels.

Gannet

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Another bird of the open sea, with over half of the world's Gannets nesting around Britain and Ireland. Gannets used to be eaten for food. For 350 years they were taken from Bass Rock until 1885 when the annual cull of about 1,500 individuals finally ceased. Shetland Gannets were sold as 'Highland Goose' to London restaurants during World War II. Thankfully, we now leave them alone.

Gannets are white with black wing tips and yellow on their head and neck. They have a long neck, long pointed bill, long pointed tail, and long narrow wings that are almost 2 metres across. Young Gannets start black and take 5 years to become fully white. Gannets fly with powerful wingbeats and an effortless glide. Usually silent, they make a "brrrr" noise when nesting.

They feed on fish by plunge diving from a height of 9m or more and hit the water at 100km per hour to catch fish at a depth of 25m or more, folding their wings in before they hit the water like a torpedo. To do this, they have a few adaptations. Their nostrils are located on the inside of their mouth and they have air sacs in their face and chest which act like bubble wrap, cushioning the impact with the water. Their eyes are slightly forward to give them binocular vision so they can judge distances accurately and their feathers are waterproof so they can spend long periods in water. Favourite fish include herring, mackerel, sprats, and sand eels. The Gannet's supposed capacity for eating large quantities of fish has led to 'gannet' becoming a description of somebody with a big appetite.

Gannets nest in large, noisy, densely packed colonies on steep cliffs or small islands. Males establish their tiny cliff ledge territory by aggressive displays towards other males. The ladies cruise by and land with their necks stretched out when they find a male they like. Beak fencing between the two seals the deal. The nest is a simple pile of seaweed, or other material found floating on the sea, stuck together with earth and droppings. Dad does most of the construction work and, over the years, the nest can get up to 2m in height! The single chalky-blue egg is incubated by both parents and hatches after 44 days. They feed the youngster until it can fly 90 days later. The youngster leaves the nest by launching itself off the cliff and flying, something it has not been able to practice, and it can get injured against the rocks if leaving in bad weather. The young Gannet learns to fish and fly as it swims off towards West Africa, its flying (well 'landing') skills being too poor to return to the nest. They will stay in Africa for 2-3 years before returning to join the edge of the breeding colony but don't nest themselves until they are 5-6 years old.

Gannets are long-lived, reaching ages of 20 years or more. About 220,000 breed in Britain and numbers are stable. However, Gannets are vulnerable to oil spills and getting caught in fishing nets and, with so many breeding here, they are Amber Listed.

Their Latin name is 'morus bassanus' where 'morus' is derived from the Ancient Greek 'moros' meaning 'foolish', as breeding Gannets could be so easily killed. The 'bassanus' comes from the Bass Rock in the Firth of Forth where many Gannets breed. Their English name is from the Old English word 'ganot' meaning 'strong or masculine'. Regional names include 'herring gant' in Norfolk and 'mackerel gant' in Yorkshire, referring to the fish they eat.

Kittiwake

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The Kittiwake is a true 'sea gull', spending more time at sea than other gulls. It is a brilliant flyer, even in gales and storms, looking Tern-like on stiff wings. It is unusual to find a Kittiwake inland. In North America, our Kittiwake is known as the Black-legged Kittiwake to differentiate it from the Red-legged Kittiwake, only found there.

The Kittiwake is gentle-looking and Common Gull sized. It has a white body with a blue-grey back and distinctive black triangular wing tips that look like they have been dipped in ink. Their bill is yellow with no red spot or mark and they have black feet. Youngsters have a 'W' pattern on their wings and a dark mark behind their eyes. They say their name, calling a gruff "kitty-wake".

Large numbers of Kittiwakes will gather where food is plentiful, plunge diving to feed on herrings, sprats, and sand eels. If fish are scarce, they will eat shrimps and squid. They will also follow fishing boats and even whales to pick up any discarded fish scraps. Unlike other gulls, they turn their noses up at scavenging on landfill sites. An upper-class bird of the seas.

Kittiwakes nest on the sheerest of sea cliffs, in noisy colonies, from February to August, often with Guillemots and Razorbills. Both mum and dad build the nest by cementing seaweed to a cliff ledge with their droppings to create a cup shape nest that stops the eggs from rolling off. The nest is lined with soft, dry material such as moss or grass. Both parents take turns incubating the 2 eggs, which hatch after 27 days. They feed the youngsters until they can fly and become independent 40 days later. The young Kittiwakes leave in autumn and fly to Greenland where many will spend their first two years before returning to the nesting site, though they won't breed themselves until they are 4 years old.

Kittiwakes can live for 20 years or more and UK numbers have grown to 400,000 with nest sites on bridges and buildings near the sea. Worldwide, it is one of the most numerous seabirds. As they rely so much on the sea, they are vulnerable to falling food stocks from overfishing and global warming.

Their Latin name is 'rissa tridactyla' where 'rissa' is from the Icelandic name 'rita' for a Kittiwake and 'tridactyl' is from the Ancient Greek 'tridaktulos' meaning 'three-toed', ('tri' for 'three' and 'daktulos' for 'toe'). The English name is derived from their call.

Razorbill

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The Razorbill is another bird that breeds on our sea cliffs and spends the rest of the year out at sea. Over 20% of Razorbills breed in Britain. The Razorbill's closest relative was the Great Auk, which was driven to extinction by the dastardly Victorians, hunting it for meat, feathers and collecting its eggs. Fortunately, the Razorbill became protected before it suffered the same fate.

The Razorbill is slightly smaller than a Guillemot and looks very similar until you see the strong white line on its thick black bill. Their head and upper parts are black and the underparts are white. They have thick necks and pointed tails. A sea Goth. Mum and dad look identical, but youngsters are smaller and browner. Razorbills, like Puffins, fly fast on narrow whirring wings. They make a growling call when breeding but are otherwise silent.

The Razorbill is in its element underwater and has been recorded at depths of 140m while chasing fish, which they can carry 2-3 at a time. While diving, they rarely stay in groups but rather spread out to feed. They eat mainly small fish like sand eels, herrings and sprats, and a lot of their time is spent hunting for food.

They start breeding in April on hidden and sheltered cliff ledges not too far above the sea, with the largest colonies being in northern Scotland. Razorbills are monogamous, with the female choosing one partner for life after encouraging a bit of competition between rival males for her affection. Courtship displays include touching bills and chasing in elaborate flight patterns. The single oval egg is laid in a rock crevice (so it can't roll off) and hatches after 36 days. The youngster is fed by mum and dad for 18 days then jumps down into the sea when only half grown, where dad continues to care for it until it can fly. The youngster won't breed for 2-3 years. Mum and dad are flightless for a few weeks in September when they do their moult out at sea.

About 160,000 pairs of Razorbills nest in Britain. They are Amber Listed as their survival depends heavily on the sea, making them vulnerable to fishing nets, oil pollution, and falling fish stocks. The oldest Razorbill lived to 41, though the average life span is 13 years.

Their Latin name is 'alca torda' where 'alca' is from the Norwegian 'alke', and 'torda' is from the Swedish 'törd', both words referring to the Razorbill. A local Scottish name is a 'Marrot' and the English name comes from the shape of its bill.

Guillemot

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A big fan of Tolkien's Mordor, the Guillemot is our most numerous sea bird and the largest member of the Auk family. A Penguin-like seabird that breeds on sea cliffs between May and July, then spends the rest of the year in loose flocks at sea, similar to Razorbills and Puffins.

Bobbing on the sea, the Guillemot sits long and low looking like a duck. It is larger than a Jackdaw and has a dark brown or black back, white underparts, a long tapering black dagger bill, long looking neck and a short tail. Sometimes there is a spectacle mark around the eye and in winter the neck and lower face turn white. It flies on whirring wings and its legs stick out the back. Their call is a hard growling "aaarr".

Guillemots have a fast direct flight but are not very agile. They become much more manoeuvrable once underwater and feed by chasing fish, often travelling many kilometres to find them. They can dive to depths of 180m, though usually hunt at about 50m. Their favourite fish include cod, herring, sprats, sand eels, as well as shellfish like crabs and molluscs.

Between May and July, they nest in noisy cliff face seabird 'city' colonies, where the cliffs are steepest and most perilous. The courtship display includes lots of bowing, billing, mutual preening, and showing off by standing upright and not falling off. The male points his head vertically and makes croaking and growling noises to attract the females. Pairs, once formed, are largely monogamous. Mum and dad come together each year at the nest site. A single pear-shaped egg is laid on a narrow cliff ledge or flat rock and incubated between mum and dad's feet. The nesting spot may be as near as a bill's length from their neighbours! The egg pattern is unique and helps the parents recognise them. Their odd shape is thought to make the egg less likely to fall off if accidentally knocked. The egg hatches after 20 days and the youngster is fed by both parents for 3 weeks, at which point the 'jumpling' jumps into the sea, as it can't fly properly. Its dense, downy feathers and underdeveloped wings allow it to avoid any serious harm. Dad continues to feed the youngster until it can fly properly 7 weeks later.

There are about 1 million pairs nesting in Britain. Most don't travel far and winter in the North Sea before returning to the same cliff face to breed. With swimming and diving in the sea, they can easily become victims of oil pollution, their main threat.

Their Latin name is 'uria aaige' from the Greek 'ouriaa', a waterbird mentioned by Athenaeus, and the Danish 'aalge' , the Old Norse for 'Auk'. The English name derives from the French 'Guillaume', a form of 'William', not a very frightening name for a Mordor Auk. Another name for a Guillemot is a 'Murre', from the sound of their call, which is much tougher sounding.

Puffin

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Like the Kingfisher, the Puffin is much smaller than you expect, smaller than a Woodpigeon. It always gets the full page treatment with its crowd pleasing, clown-like expression. The Puffin is a summer visitor to our sea cliffs. For the rest of the year, they live like duck pirates on the open sea.

The Puffin has a black crown and back, white underparts, an elaborately coloured bill and - bright red feet! When searching for Puffins amongst other seabirds, look for those red feet. The male is marginally bigger than the female, and youngsters are duller, without the colourful bill. Puffins fly with madly whirring broad dark wings, showing an obvious black breast band. Their call is a growling pirate's, "Arr, arr, arr" (without the "Jim lad").

Puffins feed on fish and crabs caught by diving and swimming underwater, using their wings for propulsion and legs to steer. They can catch fish at considerable depths and stay submerged for up to a minute. Favourites are any small fish like sand eels, herring and sprats.

Puffins return to their nesting areas in March, mainly on remote islands, though there are a few British clifftop colonies. They become sociable while nesting, but otherwise are loners, seen only in ones and twos. Their courtship display involves a lot of head bobbing, bill knocking, and standing upright. Unlike many other birds, they nest in burrows on cliffs, often amongst colonies of Razorbills, Gannets and Guillemots. Although they can dig their own, they usually take over rabbit burrows. The cosy nest chamber is one metre from the entrance and lined with grass. Previous pairs will reunite and use the same burrow, giving it a good clear out and redecoration. A single white egg is laid which hatches after 39 days and the chick (puffling) is fed by mum and dad for 40 days. The parents can carry ten or more fish in their bills, which are specially adapted with a series of hooks to hold the fish securely. The main danger to the chick in the nest is rats. The young Puffin leaves the nest at night, to avoid being eaten by other predators like Gulls or Skuas, and heads off for the open sea on its own. It will be 4-5 years before it returns and breeds itself. Mum and dad leave the nesting area in August and they too head out to sea to do their winter moult, during which they are flightless for several weeks.

There are 600,000 pairs nesting in Britain, mainly in the north and west. Sadly, their numbers are falling and they are Red Listed. Threats to Puffins include rats getting onto their rat free islands and overfishing, reducing food availability. Conservation efforts include the removal of the rats from their islands. The oldest ringed Puffin lived to 29 and had a hook.

Their Latin name is 'fratercula arctica' where 'fratercula' is the Latin for 'friar' from the word 'fraterculus' meaning 'little brother', because the Puffin's black and white plumage resembles the robes worn by monks. The 'arctica' refers to their northerly distribution. The English name 'Puffin' -- puffed in the sense of swollen -- comes from the fatty, salted meat of the Manx Shearwater. Puffin is an Anglo-Norman word for the cured carcasses and has no connection with cute Puffins at all. Their brightly coloured bills have given rise to various nicknames, such as the 'clown of the sea' and the 'sea parrot'. Puffins are the official bird of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Our Puffin is the Atlantic Puffin. Two other Puffins, the Horned Puffin and the Tufted Puffin, live in the North Pacific Ocean.

Three Plans

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For all my projects, I have always needed three plans.

Why three?

The first is the plan on a page. This one gets used for most reporting and is waved about at project board meetings. The trick with this one is prudence. Only put essential information on it as the more there is, the harder it is to understand. IT consultancies are masters at producing incredible plan pictures that look good, but nobody has a clue what they mean. The things a one page plan should highlight are:

  • The key sequence of events (e.g. sprints or phases to a release)
  • The key milestones (especially the customer's deliveries1)
  • The range of possible release dates (never give a single date2)

The plan needs to be quick and easy to update, so you always have the latest version handy. I find a spreadsheet is good for this. You can use the grid lines to line everything up and then turn them off to look good.

Copy the area needed and paste it as a picture into a slide or document. Always send out your plan as a picture or PDF so people can't fiddle with it.

I have wasted too many hours messing about with boxes and aligning them when doing it directly in a slide software (like PowerPoint). Even worse, if the receiver has their slide size set differently, it royally screws it up.

The second plan is the detailed plan, created in suitable project planning software3. The trick with this one is getting the level of detail right. Too much, and maintaining it becomes a cottage industry. Too little, and important dependencies and schedule risks will be missed. A rule of thumb is to be able to allocate all the resources and have enough detail that it could generate an accurate budget. Also detailed enough to see the impact of adding people's holidays or sudden absences. It doesn't need to go into infinite detail, but enough to feel confident about achieving deadlines. For agile projects, you can roughly pencil in what could go in which sprint and the sequencing of backlog items. A sort of sketched out version of the product backlog. This plan is never shared. The detail would allow people to pick holes, get unrealistic expectations, or have some genius of a manager take the contingency away. It is your private master plan to rule the world. Look after it.

The third plan is the team plan. For a very short horizon, it details what everyone is doing. In Agile, it is the sprint backlog and the burn down chart. In Waterfall, it is a day-by-day team plan.

It is detailed enough to identify within a day, at most, that the plan is drifting. Projects don't overrun because of big delays but from the cumulative effect of lots of little ones4. Slippage must be jumped on immediately and only detail will identify when a tiny slip is happening. This can be as trivial as a delayed meeting or a short network outage slowing work down. Time lost is never recovered unless you work longer hours and you probably do that already. With the amount of change that goes on in a project, a horizon of over two to three weeks is pointless, something Agile projects have recognised for ages.

  1. If they are late, you have the right to change your plan. ↩︎

  2. This communicates that bad stuff can happen (it will). ↩︎

  3. For me, this has been MS project. Do yourself a favour; go on a course and learn how to use it properly. It will save hours of heartache. ↩︎

  4. Brooks, "The Mythical Man-Month" ↩︎

Can Do not To Do

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Reading recently, I came across this and it resonated with me:

"To Do lists are not lists of things to do. They are lists of things you can do." (from "The Blank Screen" by William Gallagher)

Too often I have put things on my 'to do' list that I can't actually do because I am waiting on someone, do not have all the information, don't have the tools to do it, etc. These 'can't dos' clog up my day and carry over, making my list get depressingly longer and longer.

I now get rid of them as I am never going to able to do them. I shunt them to a 'someday' file which I periodically review. They could become a 'can do', but more often than not they simply disappear.