Today a heavy sea mist rolled in over the Wick and High Cliff, and despite the sunshine I cannot survey for now. Over the last few days I have been busy watching eggs hatching; many Guillemots have fluffy grey chicks, their tiny beaks poking out momentarily between wing and back, the chicks themselves safely tucked into soft-feathered brood patches. The Puffins have been in relaxed and inquisitive mood, yesterday pecking at my feet as I watched the cliffs, and pulling at my boot laces, which obviously looked like good nesting material!
I swam over to the other side of North Haven on one particularly calm evening, and they let me in amongst one of their gatherings, swimming gently with the birds all around me, their gentle calls mixing with the sound of the water, and the cries of gulls overhead. Then one took fright, and they were gone in an explosion of beating wings and a spray of water. Before I turned for home, a final treat; a Fulmar swept low above me and landed only a couple of metres away; much bigger than the Puffins, the tubes on the top of their beaks are used to excrete excess salt - the birds spend long periods at sea, without access to fresh water. He regarded me quizzically for a while, before taking flight; his large, flat feet pattering over the water as he took to the air.Update: I have recently added to my Creative Writing page, just follow the link at the top of this page to take a look...
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