We’re happy to report Jack-in-the-box has fledged – that is flown out to sea to start his adult life. Last time the team saw him he was outside the nest box flapping his wings, which is how Yelkouan fledglings train their wings for flight. The nest box is now empty, so we can only assume he’s ocean-bound, eastwards towards the Aegean Sea.

Jack is the first Yelkouan Shearwater chick in Malta to hatch in an artificial nest. This is the most recent photo taken of him by the Malta Seabird Project team, as you can see there’s considerable change from the ball of feathers photograph we first posted!

Jack-in-the-box as a fledgling, Photo by Paulo Lago Barreiro

Jack as a fluffy chick, Photo by Ben Metzger