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We have around two thirds of the world population of Gannets, along with internationally important numbers of Guillemots, Puffins, Razorbills, Kittiwakes and Fulmars. Though Gannets may be the birds that demand your attention, the supporting cast of Guillemots, Razorbills, Puffins, Fulmars and Kittiwakes are equally fascinating.
When Daisy started talking about a family trip to Maine for the long Memorial Day Weekend I had one thing on my mind: puffins! Atlantic Puffins are easier to see, and see well, in Maine than anywhere else in the United States. Eastern Egg Rock is a tiny, rocky island well within site of the Maine-land.
You might be expecting me to start writing about the amazing colonies of Northern Gannets Morus bassanus or Atlantic Puffins Fratercula arctica , among others. But no, my story today is about the birds that come in to breed on the heather moorland which dominates the high ground. Never a better time to see them in full breeding dress.
On our first morning after breakfast, my group and the teens piled onto a boat and headed out to Eastern Egg Rock, once again the breeding ground for Atlantic Puffins (as well as a host of other seabirds) thanks to biologist Dr. Stephen Kress. What was it like?” I asked one of the teens, when eventually they rejoined us.
A few families have a small number of eggs in the clutches, like gulls or cormorants. Others, like the petrels and some of the auks, will lay a single egg per breeding attempt. The investment placed in each clutch bur seabirds is so great that only one breeding attempt can be seen to completion each year.
Having shown us the bird, the boat, and the water, Fox then introduces herself: “Albatrosses, petrels, fulmars, puffins and gulls live out their lives along these transect lines; my job is to count them all.”. Northern Fulmar, image courtesy of Peter Hodum. ” There are amazing stories here.
Birders flock to this haven, as it is a sanctuary for over 150,000 breeding Northern Gannets , making it the world’s largest colony. The island is teeming with so many birds that their eggs and young chicks were once harvested for food. All are at eye level, as the island is less than 150 feet high.
The Atlantic Puffin is one of the most charismatic of auks. I’m pretty sure that the only way that anyone could dislike Atlantic Puffins is in some kind of ironic way… but no, with its bright beak and earnestness, the puffin is also well-placed for hipster love, so they have that covered. Of course you do.
At Dunnet Head, we got to see a couple of Atlantic Puffins, a few Razorbills, some Guillemots and gulls. Hundreds of Black-headed Gulls, Greater Black-backed Gulls , Mew Gulls , and Fulmars , thousands of Razorbills , 60-70 Puffins , and literally tens of thousands of Guillemots. I caught this Guillemot on the way back with dinner.
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