Big Blue UK

Seabirds (1x3)

: 26, 2015

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall celebrates the amazing marine life found in the UK's seas as Big Blue Week continues. In this episode, Hugh's focus is on our seabirds. From gannets to guillemots, puffins to storm petrels - eight million seabirds descend on the UK coast every summer. Hugh meets the cutest of all - puffin chicks, known as pufflings. He also catches up with the Big Blue Live team in America. The UK is a bird magnet, and millions of seabirds arrive here to breed in the summer months. Lindsey Chapman is meeting scientists tagging our largest seabird, the northern gannet. Using 3G technology, they are able to track gannets in real time. So where do they go to feed? Lindsey discovers a potential new threat being built in their flight path. Richard Taylor-Jones corrects a commonly held misconception - there is no such thing as a seagull. Instead, the UK is home to eight distinct species of gull. But why have these birds become our feathered foes? Richard tries to change their reputation as the scourge of the seaside. Meanwhile, Hugh is heading offshore to bid farewell to baby puffins. Known as pufflings, these chicks look like balls of fluff and are as cute as their name suggests. Hugh finds out they are tough too. After just a few months on dry land, they leave our shores and spend three long years out at sea. Hugh is given the special task of helping them on their way.