I must admit I didn't spend too much time with them as I am lucky to have a spot to do likewise very close to home. That also involves a precipitous drop too!
Fly by shots are always interesting as they ride the wind around the cliff face.
I love the show of feet that I presume is designed to help them hang in the wind.
They also use them to slow down as they attempt to land too.
Unlike my local spot where they land well below the cliff top, on the Isle of May I found a spot where they were landing at my level.
Is one smiling at the return of a partner?
Or in expectation of an ungainly crash landing !
Yep, not amused by the look of it!
What I really love about these birds is that they seem so graceful in flight but equally beautiful on the ground.
Just look at that bill.
They have a couple of fascinating traits.
They produce a stomach oil which can be sprayed at potential predators as well as used as a food source for adults during long flights and for rearing chicks.
They also have a gland that desalinates the sea water they have swallowed, excreting the strong saline solution from their nose.
Maybe I should have spent more time trying for shots, particularly in better light as the sun came up over the south of the May.
Next time maybe !
T.B.C.
No comments:
Post a Comment