Seymour Birdies Diary: My First Visit to Bempton Cliffs - Part 2

28th May 2021

After a fantastic morning with the Fulmars, Kittiwakes and Gannets, now time to have a look at the auks. However, the first bird that came along was not an auk but a Peregrine Falcon, which must be spoilt for choice here at dinner time.

So now on to the auks. First up is the Guillemot, the most stream-lined of our auks. They cram in large numbers on to narrow cliff ledges and stare at a cliff face all day

Sometimes there is a dispute over who owns the ledge.

But it is in the air that their stream-lined profile shows off to its best as they fly out to sea to fish.

The Razorbill is a more sturdy version of the Guillemot with a much heavier bill with distinctive markings. They seemed to be the commonest auk here, and sometimes appeared quite close.

As with all the auks they are fast flyers.

And last but not least everyone's favourite the Puffin. They are the least easy to see here as they are not present in the same numbers as the other auks and tend to prefer the lower ledges out of sight from the cliff top. However, on occasion a few are visible higher up the cliff.

By far the easiest way to see them is when they fly in and out of the cliffs, although they can be tricky to photograph as they are often at sea level and flying very fast.

And now for the two surprises. A male Red-backed Shrike had been present for a couple of days but was very distant along a fence line.. I was trying to get a record shot when it was photo-bombed by a Barn Owl!! Just how good is that?