A few days ago the two of us decided to visit St Abb's Head (National Trust for Scotland & National Nature Reserve), having missed the NNBC field trip a little earlier in the month.The greatest numbers of birds were to be found just north of the
lighthouse. Watching the behaviour of these birds, in such good weather,
can easily take up 1-2 hours of one's time - plus the walk and study
of flowers & butterflies! In addition to the many thousands of Guillemots crowded onto the rugged cliff ledges and stacks, hundreds could be found on the water - it being a fine, calm day. They could be viewed 'queueing up' waiting for a gentle wave to wash them high enough to aid their fluttering clamber out of the sea on to the almost perpendicular rock face. Razorbills seemed less adventurous but were occupied with allopreening. Kittiwakes displayed their pair bonding & copulating skills whilst perched on equally precipitous narrow ledges, whilst Fulmars occupied the air-space surveying the scene and watching us watching them!
It's a great place to see these cliff-nesting birds without taking a boat trip to the Farne Islands, but there were no Terns to be seen!
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