Sea Cliffs of Shetland - Part 2

 

Northern Gannet (Morus bassanus). 
Isle of Noss, Shetland, Scotland. 

Shetland is a group of islands north of the mainland of Scotland. We visited these foggy, rainy and windy islands in June and found life teeming around the cliffs that fringe the islands.  The sea cliffs were swarming with birds nesting, resting and raising young.  We were privileged to view the birds closeup, from the water in a small boat and from trails along the cliff tops.  These perspectives gave us an intimate portrait of the seabirds during the crucial nesting season. 

In the last post of this blog, I described Atlantic Puffins, Common Murres, Razorbills and gulls on the cliffs.  Despite this impressive list there were still more birds on the sea cliffs of Shetland.

Northern Gannet.
Isle of Noss, Shetland, Scotland. 

Northern Gannets on cliff.
Isle of Noss, Shetland, Scotland. 

Northern Gannets mating.
Isle of Noss, Shetland, Scotland. 

Northern Gannets on nests.
 Isle of Noss, Shetland, Scotland. 

Video of Northern Gannets plunging for food.

Isle of Noss, Shetland, Scotland. 

One of the largest and most abundant of these birds was the Northern Gannet (Morus bassanus).  With a six-foot wingspan, white body with black wingtips, a head tinged with gold, a dagger-like beak and striking blue eyes, the Northern Gannets wheeled about the cliffs, plunging headfirst into the water to catch fish.  Northern Gannets nest in colonies that can have tens of thousands of birds.  The nests were loose cups made of seaweed, land plants and even debris like scraps of fishing net and rope.  

Northern Fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis). 
Sumburgh Head, Shetland, Scotland. 

Northern Fulmar.
Isle of Noss, Shetland, Scotland. 

Northern Fulmar.
Isle of Noss, Shetland, Scotland. 

Northern Fulmar.
Sumburgh Head, Shetland, Scotland. 

Northern Fulmars.  Adult feeding young.
Isle of Noss, Shetland, Scotland. 

Northern Fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis) look similar to gulls but they are Tubenoses (Order Procellariiformes) and more closely related to albatrosses.  Northern Fulmars are gray on the upper wings and back with a white head and belly.  The tube that gives the Order its name is on top of the beak and contains a salt gland that allows these birds to drink seawater.  Northern Fulmars glide just above the sea surface on stiff wings and take small animals from the surface or dive for food.  

Great Skua (Stercorarius skua).
Fair Isle, Shetland, Scotland.

Great Skua trying to steal a fish from a Great
Black-backed Gull (Larus marinus).
Isle of Noss, Shetland, Scotland. 

Great Skua.
Isle of Noss, Shetland, Scotland. 

Great Skua.
Isle of Noss, Shetland, Scotland. 

Great Skuas (Stercorarius skua) are large, dark and aggressive predatory seabirds. With their brown mottled color and heavy black bill, they look downright menacing. Their massive, barrel chest and white wing patches make Great Skuas easy to identify on the wing.  Great Skuas nest in the grasslands above the sea cliffs and catch fish, steal from other birds, take eggs and snatch young birds from their neighbor's nests.  In Scotland Great Skuas are know as Bonxies.   

European Shag (Gulosus aristotelis).
Isle of Noss, Shetland, Scotland.  

European Shags.
Isle of Noss, Shetland, Scotland. 

European Shags (Gulosus aristotelis) are related to our Double-crested Cormorants (Nannopterum auritum).  They are black with a hooked beak and dive from the surface to catch fish.  European Shags nest in small caves and crevices of the sea cliffs. 

Wild Rock Pigeons (Columba livia),
Sumburgh Head, Shetland, Scotland. 

A denizen of the cliffs that is not a sea bird is the familiar Rock Pigeon (Columba livia).  We are accustomed to seeing these birds eating food scraps on the city sidewalks or nesting under interstate highway bridges.  But these are all feral birds whose ancestors escaped from captivity and are now naturalized.  In northern Scotland, Rock Pigeons are wild and have never been domesticated.  It is nice to see these Rock Pigeons living wild in this wild place. 

Cliffs and lighthouse at Sumburgh Head.
Shetland, Scotland. 

The sea cliffs of Shetland look forbidding, even dangerous. In the fog with waves crashing and steep drop offs the cliffs can give people pause.  But to the birds these cliffs are a safe place to make their nests and bring on the next generation.