Full of action, noise and smell - so full of life. This is a seabird colony during the breeding season - one of our great wildlife spectacles.
In the UK we have some of the most important seabird colonies in the world. As well as the huge colonies, there are many other smaller ones scattered around our wonderful coastline, giving us all an opportunity to enjoy. Nearest to me is Marsden on the North East coast. This is a colony of around 3000 pairs of Kittiwakes (surely our most beautiful gull), with a supporting cast of; Fulmar, Herring Gull, Coromorant and Razorbill. The Kittiwakes at Marsden are holding their own, and productivity this year, while not spectacular, looks like it will reasonable, with many healthy looking chicks and adults in close attendance.
Now is the time to get out and enjoy, with a few weeks of the breeding season still remaining, before young fledge and disperse. Below are a few pics I took over the last couple of weeks at Marsden that I hope may inspire you to go along to a seabird colony near you.
On a more sombre note. Many of the UKs seabird colonies are in big trouble, with poor productivity year after year, This is not just a UK problem, but a global one - a recent review by BirdLife International (http://www.iucn.org/about/work/programmes/species/our_work/the_iucn_red_list/iucn_red_list_news/?9340/Worrying-declines-for-worlds-seabirds) reveals that seabirds are now more threatened than any other group of birds. Of the 346 seabird species, 97 (28%) are globally threatened, and a further 10% are listed as Near Threatened. Almost half of all seabird species are known or suspected to be experiencing population declines. Seabirds are a barometer on the health of our marine environment; a window that we can all see into a world that is remote for many of us. The future of our seabirds depends on the choices we all make, from the products we buy and consume to the pressures we put on politicians to protect these environments.
Nests clinging to the limestone cliffs:
Poetry in motion:
Feed me please:
A bit of wing-stretching. Building up muscles that will carry them thousands of miles round our oceans:
It must be love:
Cormorant chicks have a prehistoric look - a reminder of birds' dinosaur ancestors:
Not just about the birds - Marsden also has many wildfllowers along its clifftop path:
Latest gull colony updates at sites.google.com/site/thegullery
Great photos.
I'm a gull lover, too, albeit a not very knowledgeable one. Herring Gulls make me laugh - probably because they seem to be laughing and it gets infectious. I am hoping to have a look at Marsden in 3 weeks time when we are spending a week in the north east.
We have just been to Pembrokeshire and were privileged to see thousands upon thousands of guillemots on Stack Rocks. Wonderful sight.
Thanks for drawing our attention to the declining UK seabird colonies. It is indeed sombre.
Cheers, Linda.
See my photos on Flickr
I don't know if you have seen the rock since the collapse, but it looks very different. The central section of the arch dropped out and the remaining right hand stack was blown up because it was considered a danger to the public. Apart from that things are much the same. The colony is a little more southerly distributed and the coromorants this year are mainly on the stack near Souter Lighthouse (they used to be crowded onto the main Marsden Rock from when you remember it). Razorbills are now well established in the colony in small numbers. Hope you enjoy your next visit!