Saturday 20 April 2013

Black Guillemots having a 'domestic' and 'copulating'

Early this morning I went down to Bangor Pier to see the Black Guillemots.  There were quite a numbers around, some in the water, others on the the Pier while others were at their nest holes.   This one was having a big yawn!
Black Guillemot having a yawn
Then I heard a terrible commotion from one of the nest holes and the video below shows 2 of them having a 'domestic'.  Since one of them never stopped harping at the other, I had to assume that was the female giving off in no uncertain terms to the male!  What ever had he done to deserve this telling off.  It went on for over 5 minutes and although he turned his back on her several times, thinking this might stop her, it didn't work as she obviously was very upset about something and wanted him to feel her whole wrath.


It was even doing my head in so I focused on this pair below who were sitting on the Pier and as I watched as he sidled up to her, jumped on her back and copulated.  When you watch the video below, if you blink you may miss this!


Other than a Rock Pipit walking up and down the slipway and a feral Pigeon, there was nothing else at the Harbour.  In the Long hole there were a few Turnstone, Redshank, more Black Guillemots and the usual Gulls.

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