Sea birds update from Arbroath Cliffs

   
The results of a trip to Arbroath Cliffs where I saw various sea birds, gulls, and also photographed insects and butterflies, they will be in a separate blog post once I've attempted to identify them.

Again it was good to see healthy Gannets passing by and only two birds dead, one at Whiting Ness, another at Carlingheugh Bay.

There were good numbers of Razorbills flying out and in to their nests which I couldn't see without disturbing them, so I've no idea how many nests there are. Less Guillemots were seen but that's normal for the site I spent most time at.

Shag bathing and exiting the sea      Fulmar on nest      Kittiwake colony      Razorbills

Still Gannets surviving the avian flu ripping across the Bass Rock, but for long? These are two from a group of five further offshore, heading north along the coast at Arbroath Cliffs

A different group with different aged birds, I hope the young birds avoid the flu by staying away from the colonies

Shag at Arbroath Cliffs

Razorbill stretching and maybe near its nest

Guillemot, one of the small percentage that have the bridled eye. Apparently the further north they breed the numbers with bridles is higher - look that up online. Somebody told me that "fact" but I've been misled in the past...

Now that the Kittiwakes have settled on their nests there appears to be less of them, but many were fishing elsewhere or sitting offshore

A second calendar year Kittiwake, born last summer and hanging around with others that may be non-breeding or have failed

As you would have heard if you played the videos above, the Kittiwakes are noisy, shouting their Kittiwake call that gives them their name. (the video volume was reduced by a large margin)

There are more Fulmars nesting this year, most years two or three nests is normal for this site, I counted eight nests this year

This pair had just driven off another Fulmar that had landed on the rock on the right, they were still giving  a threat call

Herring Gulls nest but not in large numbers like they did when I was a kid, mind you that wasn't yesterday

Every year there's a Rock Pipit pair nesting somewhere near where I perch, they simply ignore me as I'm far enough away, but they occasionally appear to be nosey and will sit quite close and sing

This Rock Pipit sings from the roof of the toilet block at Whiting Ness, bathes in the old Wishing Well and was foraging in a pile of eggs, feathers, charcoal and beans that some idiot had dumped at the bottom of the ramp to the cliff path. I despair at people.....