Summer is here – really! It is supposed to become warmer. Many of the seabirds are back on the cliffs preparing to nest, if you watch them patiently you may see them carrying bits of grass to the ledges. Some of the birds like guillemots and razorbills don’t make nests at all but just lay their eggs on the rock! Why don’t the eggs just roll off down the cliff then? Very cleverly, the design – the way the eggs are made, not round or even oval like a hens egg but conical [like an ice cream cone – sort of] ensures that if the eggs are moved they only spin around and around, amazing! One particular seabird digs a burrow in the grass by the cliffs and lays its egg, just one, at the far end of the burrow. It is a black and white bird with a very colourful beak, bright orange legs, a funny walk and makes a peculiar croaky noise. Can you tell me what it is? You can see these birds and many others out at faraid head. Here are some pictures to help you out. If you do go near the cliffs be very very careful the rocks are extremely crumbly around Durness. |