Rissa's livestream of Tromsø’s rescued kittiwakes is now closed.

Delphin Ruché
Aug 24
3 min read

Updated: Sep 9

Between the 9th and the 22d of August, we streamed rescued kittiwake chicks on YouTube. This initiative is a first in Tromsø, and aimed to foster empathy for this endangered species, and promote coexistence. Here's a quick recap!

Feeding time for Dora (who was always exploring), Mambo (the 5th rescue), Dumpling (extremely cute) and Ghandi (who thought he could live without eating).

A long-wished project

Streaming kittiwake chicks was a project we had dreamed of for several years, but a lack of funding forced us to postpone it. Earlier this year, Rissa Citizen Science received support from Sparebankstiftelsen for the kittiwake project. Part of this funding was earmarked to purchase a livecam and set up a livestream on YouTube.

Maximum brood size on a kittiwake hotel nest.

Our initial wish was to install the camera on one of the kittiwake hotels in Muséparken. We believed this was a fantastic opportunity to highlight the efforts of everyone involved in protecting Tromsø’s kittiwakes, from the municipality to scientists, architects, and volunteers, while drawing attention on the solution (the kittiwake hotels) rather than the problem. Unfortunately, we faced some resistance and were not granted permission to install the camera on any of the hotels.

Kittiwake hotels where Rissa Citizen Science had originally hoped to install a livecam in 2025

Kittiwake hotels where we had originally hoped to install a livecam in 2025.

Eventually, the fifteen rescued kittiwake chicks gave us the opportunitty we had been looking for. There is nothing cuter than young kittiwake chicks. Plus, when you spend time with them or look at them online, you quickly see that every chick is different. Every chick has its own personality and attitudes, and many people grew attached, finding themselves drawn to some specific chicks and checking on them several times a day and throughout the night.

A kittiwake chick rescued and raised in Tromsø by Rissa Citizen Science

Dora was everyone's favorite. A strong personality, curious and always eager to explore her surroundings.

Team effort

This livestream was made possible thanks to Roel Melman, one of Rissa Citizen Science’s closest collaborators and guest author of the midsummer kittiwake report. We’re deeply grateful for his work in setting it up.

Julian Nielsen contributed by creating a banner showing Rissa Citizen Science’s logo along with short educational facts that rotated every 30 seconds. A brilliant addition!

Dora having insomnia, which we could witness thanks to the night mode of the livecam.

Some challenges

The main challenges were keeping the lens clean and troubleshooting technical issues during the stream. In that sense, it was a relief that the camera was easily accessible, rather than placed five meters up on a kittiwake hotel. Perfect for this first year of experimenting and learning!

Behind the Scenes of Streaming Kittiwake Chicks in Tromsø

Behind the scene: Dumpling (left) and François (right) meeting for the first time in August 2025.

What we learned

Streaming wildlife takes both a reliable live camera and solid technical know-how. A dirty lens, time lag, or frozen screen can quickly discourage viewers. To keep people engaged, the stream has to run smoothly at all times, which means someone needs to be available and ready to react immediately when something goes wrong. Luckily, raising kittiwake chicks already demands that same level of availability, so we managed well. Still, it’s a valuable lesson to keep in mind for the next time we plan to set up a livecam in a less accessible location!