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| This is a series of shots taken over at the cliffs just south of Tormisdale a couple of years back when I visited with my friends Al and Jill who live on Arran. These cliffs have the best seabird colonies on the Rhinns - although they are not large by seabird standards probably because the local geology does not provide enough suitable ledges. |
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| This is taken peering over the edge of the cliff. You can see a Kittiwake flying by down below while a Guillemot and Razorbill look up to see who has arrived... |
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| The seabirds nest side by side - with the Kittiwakes building nests and the auks laying onto the bare rock. There is a significant build up of guano through the season... |
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| If you crawl up to the edge and peer over with a long lens it is possible to get some close up portraits of the birds - which are not at all bothered by having their pictures taken |
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| Here you can see the classic pointed shape of the Guillemot egg - the Darwinian explanation of the shape being that it is less likely to roll off the edge.... |
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| Razorbill eggs are not so pointed - but they tend to nest in nooks rather than on the open ledge. In either case, it is necessary to hatch chicks that have a developed sense of spacial awareness - otherwise they would fall off!! |
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