Marine Life - Sea Birds

The waters around the Argyll Islands are warm, nutrient rich and full of plankton. A bucketful of seawater may contain thousands of microscopic plants and animals. These tiny organisms are food for larger organisms and these in turn are eaten by even larger animals such as small fish and crustaceans. These are then food for other animals such as large fish, mammals or birds. This abundance of plankton therefore results in large populations of other sea life. In fact these islands have the greatest biodiversity of any area of the British Isles and they are renowned for their large populations of sea birds.

In summer the rocky cliffs are literally teeming with breeding gulls, guillemots and kittiwakes, not to mention the humorous puffins which nest in burrows above the cliffs. The rocky shores provide food and shelter for breeding cormorants and turnstones whilst the sandy beaches are the nesting grounds for ducks, terns and plover. Even in autumn and winter the inshore waters are frequented by ducks and divers, and the melancholy shags are present all year.

Many of these sea birds are easily observed from the ferries as they pass from island to island but others require a little patience to locate and watch. Waders such as the golden plover or dunlin can be quite elusive at times and in order to view the puffins in their breeding colonies it is best to take a trip with a wildlife operator to one of the islands.

Sea birds eat very salty food, such as fish, and ingest salty seawater. This would be impossible for most animals since their kidneys would not be able to get rid of the excess salt in their blood, but sea birds have special glands situated behind their eyes which remove the salt from the bloodstream. These glands then excrete a fluid which is about 5 times saltier than their blood. This fluid passes down a duct and into the nasal cavity. It then drips off the tip of the bird's bill.

Sea birds are adapted to their marine life in many other ways. Some, such as the guillemot, are adapted for swimming with waterproof feathers, dense plumage and a thick fat layer to increase buoyancy and insulation. Their legs are at the end of their bodies which makes them look very ungainly on land but at sea it enables them to maximise the propulsion through the water and aids streamlining and steering. Their feet are webbed and their wings are used as flippers under the water. In fact although the guillemot is a very strong flyer, it is an extremely fleet and agile swimmer. When disturbed by boats it usually dives directly under the water and swims away although sometimes it paddles away using its wings as little oars and looking very much like a clumsy wind-up bath toy!

Some of these sea birds are very specialised feeders. The puffin for example relies almost entirely on a small fish called a sandeel. If the population of sandeels drops then the puffins can starve. Commercial over-fishing of sandeels in the 1980's resulted in a dramatic decline in sand eel numbers and following from this was a dramatic decline in the numbers of breeding sea birds. Many puffins starved and were washed ashore.

Many sea birds also perish as a result of becoming tangled in netting and other marine litter. And chemical pollutants are a major threat since they contaminate the birds' feathers as well as their food. Some chemicals stay in the animals' bodies and as these animals are eaten by larger animals the concentration of the poisons builds up. Animals such a fishing birds at the top of the food chain can build up lethal amounts of toxic chemicals which may kill them or affect their ability to breed successfully.

As you explore these wonderful shores around the Argyll Islands please remember the fragility of some of the living organisms and their habitats. Please take all litter away with you and remember that these beautiful beaches and rocky bays are home to many different species. If a bird seems agitated or distressed by your presence then please move carefully away from the area since it probably has a nest nearby. Some areas are protected to allow birds to breed in peace so please respect this.

The Puffin 

Fratercula artica

From March to May these dumpy birds with their bright, comical beaks can be found all along the coasts to the west of the Argyll Islands . They mass in huge rafts out at sea before coming ashore to breed and the best time to see them is in the evenings as they return to land to feed their young. They nest in burrows in the turf along the cliff tops, producing one egg each year and feeding the “puffling” for about 6 weeks. They then leave it to fend for itself and once it gets hungry enough it will totter out of the burrow and attempt to fly from the cliffs out to sea to feed itself. This usually results in a rather sudden drop from the top of the cliff, hopefully into the water! Surprisingly most of them survive this initiation ceremony and two years later they are back to produce their own young.

Their bill and tongue are ridged with spikes allowing the Puffin to hold a remarkable number of fish at one time. The most ever recorded at one time is 62! Most of their large coloured beak is simply a decorative sheath which is shed during the winter and re-grown next spring.

Gannet

Sula bassana

This spectacular seabird has a wingspan nearly as large as the sea eagle's and they are usually seen out at sea, diving from a great height and folding their wings just before they enter the water like a torpedo. Often a group of them can be observed diving again and again into a shoal of fish. Sometimes they have to rest on the water surface for a while before flying off since they are so full of food!

The young “guga” are very plump and were taken for food by many island communities who relied on them as a good source of protein and fat. The stomachs were even dried and used as containers by the people of St Kilda.

Gannets are a gleaming white with dramatic black tips to their long, narrow wings and with bright yellow heads. They often dive from heights up to 30 metres, hitting the water at up to 100kph, and they keep their eyes open as they enter the water. This eventually damages their eyes and older birds can become quite blind. Their nostrils however have been adapted for this impact and do not have external openings on the bill.

Manx Shearwater

Puffinus puffinus puffinus

Manx Shearwater have long straight slim wings, and are black above and white below. They fly with a series of rapid stiff-winged flaps followed by long glides on stiff straight wings over the surface of the sea, occasionally banking or 'shearing'. It breeds in colonies in the UK, on offshore islands - including Rum - where it is safe from rats and other ground predators.  Birds leave their nest sites in July, to migrate to the coast of South America, where they spend the winter, returning in late February and March.  Shearwaters are a good sign when trying to spot Cetaceans, especially whales, as they feed on the same prey.

Shag

Phalarocorox aristellis

Shags are completely black and are often seen perched on rocks or floats, sometimes with their wings outstretched to dry. They feed on shoaling fish such as sandeels and herring and often gather in large groups on the sea surface to feed. They are present in the Argyll Islands all year and their large, messy nests surrounded by white droppings are easily spotted around rocky headlands or in spreading trees along the shore. Easily distinguished from the cormorant by the lack of any white colouring and having a little crest of feathers on the top of their heads in the breeding season.

Guillemot

Uria aalge

These strong little sea birds are also excellent swimmers and dive under water as a boat approaches. They are black above and white below with a delicate, pointed beak. Their single eggs are laid on precarious ledges and when the young are ready to leave they just fall off and drop into the water! Hence the name “dropling” for these appealing fledglings. They cannot fly at this time and have to be looked after by the male until they are ready to fend for themselves.

There is a related sea bird called a black guillemot, which is similar but smaller and is completely black except for white wing patches. They are different species and do not interbreed but are often seen together though the black guillemot is much less common. Both these birds are often seen bobbing in small groups on the surface of the sea in all kinds of weather.

Razorbill

Alca torda

Very similar to the guillemot, the razorbill has a broader, square-tipped beak with white stripes. It generally has less white on its underside and the two birds are often seen together sitting peacefully on the sea surface.

Gulls

There is no such thing as a 'seagull' but rather it is a collective term used to describe all Gulls.  There are many different types of gull and gull-like birds found around the Argyll Islands from the Great Black-backed Gull which stands about 1/2m tall to the delicate arctic tern standing only 15cm high. With their slim bodies and long, forked tails, terns are easily distinguished from the gulls.

Kittiwakes have black legs and wing tips and are the smallest of the gulls. However they have the noisiest, most over-crowded nest colonies. And probably the smelliest! These are

found on almost vertical cliff faces to which they return year after year.

Oystercatcher

Haematopus ostralegus

This large black and white wader is very common all around the shoreline. With their bright red legs and eyes and their heavy red bills, they are very easily recognisable, as is their noisy piping. They are also known as “Sea Pie” since they were once quite a useful meat source. This is probably a more suitable name than oystercatcher since it is debatable whether they actually eat oysters at all! They are more often seen digging for their food on sandy beaches or between boulders . However in 1974 concern about their effect on commercial oyster beds led to a cull of several thousand birds. Thankfully their numbers have increased since then and they are a striking sight all over the islands.

Eider

Somateria mollissima

Eider ducks are found all around the Argyll Islands especially in the very early spring when the male's crooning call can be heard along most coasts. The plain brown female nests on shore, pulling out her soft down feathers from her chest to make a soft warm bed, in the grass, for her young. This is still collected commercially in Shetland and Iceland to make eiderdowns (duvets).

The eider duck is the most numerous duck in the world and there are estimated to be over 2 million! They lay about eight eggs in a clutch and once hatched the ducklings are looked after in a crèche by a collection of mothers. It is surprising to discover that eider ducks feed on crabs and shellfish.

Wild Geese

Although not sea birds there are many species of wild goose often seen on coastal meadows, salty marshes and in sheltered bays. They are very much a part of the sea life of the Argyll Islands and their musical honking call as they gather overhead is particularly evocative.

The striking black and white plumage of the Barnacle Goose, Branta leucopsis, is familiar all over the islands but especially on Islay where their increasing numbers are damaging farmland. Some people are surprised to find out that geese do not eat fish but live mostly on grass and waterside plants. Barnacle Geese are sometimes confused with the ubiquitous Canada Goose, Branta canadensis, but although they both have jet black necks and heads the larger Canada Goose also has a very marked white “chin-strap”. These geese are also increasing in numbers and are becoming quite a problem in some urban parks.

Great Skua

Catharacta Skua

The great skua is an aggressive pirate of the seas, deliberately harrassing birds as large as gannets to steal a free meal. It also readily kills and eats smaller birds such as puffins. Great skuas show little fear of humans - anybody getting close to the nest will be repeatedly dive-bombed by the angry adult. These birds migrate to the northernmost isles of the UK from their wintering grounds off the coasts of Spain and Africa. At a distance they look stout and dark and show white wing flashes in flight.

The White-tailed Sea Eagle

Haliaeetus albicilla

Another bird which is very special to the Argyll Islands is the White-tailed sea eagle. This magnificent bird grows to give a wingspan of over 2 metres! They were exterminated from Britain in the early 20 th century after bounty was put on their heads and the last was shot in Shetland in 1918.

A programme of re-introduction began in 1975 and young birds were brought over from Norway . The first successful nesting was on Mull in 1985 when the first chick to fledge in the UK for 70 years flew the nest. Having been successfully re-introduced to this area they can be viewed at protected nesting sites during the spring breeding season. However since they are so rare they are still under great threat, along with other raptors, from nest raiders. On Mull there is a very successful campaign called Operation Easter and the community, together with the RSPB, also operate Mull eagle Watch. If you ever see anything suspicious involving any wildlife please contact the local police who will put you in touch with their Wildlife Crime Officer. It is a serious offence to interfere with any of their breeding sites.

The white-tailed sea eagle's diet is very wide and includes fish, rabbits and hares as well as other birds such as eider ducks and shags. In the winter this includes fulmars and carrion. Like all birds of prey it catches its prey using its strong talons and carries it off to eat elsewhere. It can be seen perched high in forest trees or on exposed boulders but it is at its best when seen circling slowly on warm air currents above the coastal hills. Its huge size distinguishes it from the other large raptors but unlike the buzzard they hold their wings out quite straight as they soar. Their tails when adult are white and wedge-shaped as opposed to the golden eagle's square, brown tail.

The Gaelic name for the white-tailed sea eagle is “Iolaire-saile na grein” which translates into English as ‘the eagle with the sunlit eyes.'

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