Shoney Wind Kittiwakery

The Kittiwakery concept was first conceived in 2019 by NJ Stevenson of Shoney Wind (SWL), following  research into kittiwake thermoregulation, and a global review of successful and failed artificial nesting structures. This research led to the magnificent work carried out at Middleton Island, Alaska.  https://middletonisland.org/

SWL  started breeding kittiwake surveys in 2020. The results did not match conventional theories about predator defence/central colony position. Stevenson devised a hypothesis that kittiwake  select breeding sites in the ‘Goldilocks zone of least thermoregulatory stress’ i.e. in locations that have low heat  or low cold stress or a net balance between the two. 

In 2020, SWL commissioned FLI Structures to develop the ‘base case’ engineering  design. In Feb 2022, SWL/FLI Structures won an OWGP  grant to carry out fabrication trials.  The  Dogger Bank South project funded  the installation of a pilot Kittiwakery installed in Gateshead in early Feb 2023.