Gannets Galore.

Yesterday morning saw me on a bright and breezy cliff top at Yorkshire's RSPB Bempton Cliffs reserve.  As good friends and fellow wildlife photographers Dave and Roger and myself made our way down to the cliffs we were greeted by the cacophonous  onomatopoeic cries of the hundreds of kittiwakes nesting on the cliffs accompanied by the more guttural calls of the large numbers of gannets as they cruised along the cliffs often at eye level.  Some of them were skillfully hanging in the wind as they came in to land on the grassy top of the cliffs to collect nesting material which they then carried to their chosen spot lower down.  Although there were plenty of gannets and kittiwakes fulmars were few and far between whilst auks were scarce; we only saw a handful of guillemots and no razorbills or puffins.  It would seem that they didn't appreciate the windy conditions and were resting out at sea.  We spent a happy day, however, and returned home with full memory cards. A great day out in good company.

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Fulmar

Fulmar

Fulmar

Gannet collecting nesting material

Gannet domesticity; two different nests

The same birds engaged in a territorial dispute

Gannet

Using the feet as air brakes

Carrying nesting material

Gannet

Gannet

Air brakes on

Herring gull

Herring gull

Herring gull

Jackdaw

Kittiwake

Kittiwake

Kittiwakes on nests

Kittiwake pair

Tree Sparrow

Tree Sparrow

Tree Sparrow