40 : Common Guillemot

Common Guillemot - Uria aalga

Today a Guillemot breeding colony in the North West (I think Bempton) in late May/early June. When we lived in Manchester we would get a 2 week half term at Witsun which was a throw back from factory closedown in the mills. We got into the habit of having a week away for the last week of May or first week of June which is a great time if you go to the coast in terms of catching large numbers of breeding birds doing what they do. As we could the week when other counties were not having their half term we could often get the coast to ourselves. I remember one year having a mile of National Trust beach in Cardiganshire all to ourselves. Britain is beautiful place at that time of year - the Welsh coast, Cumbria, the Western Isles. There is something about the light, the wild flowers and the birds. Its also the time for asparagus ! An British holiday in June. We also used to find ourselves watching Springwatch on the BBC when we were away in whatever cottage we had rented in the evening. One year we were in Islay at the same time as the Springwatch team who were staying at a farm a few miles down the road. That was funny - seeing the same birds on film in the evening that we had seen during the day. Hen harriers for example of eider ducks. The evenings are long and the light is beautiful in the North at that time of year.

bask to Guillemots - There are 1.2 million of these seabirds nesting around the coast of Britain as I write this in some of the densest colonies of any birds. As wildlife spectacles go apart from perhaps winter geese or wader congregations a cliff top seabird colony is probably one of the high points for UK birding.

Common Guillemot - Uria aalga
Cumbria
June 2008