Wednesday 19 June 2013

Copeland Island Visited Final Part (6)

This is the final day from Lighthouse Island at Copeland Islands and all the photographed are from Stefan GreifAll have been edited in some way by myself and Stefan has given me permission to do so.  I would like to thanks him for so generosity letting me use and edit them and to share them with all bloggers.


Today our final 3 birds, all Auks, are 
Black Guillemots, Razorbills and my favorite, Puffins.


Black Guillemots

Since I started blogging three and a half months ago I have shown you many Black Guillemots in my posts as they come to my town in County Down to breed. 
You will see in stills and video (at end of post) that they have red feet and inside their mouth is also bright red.
In courtship display, male stands upright, points bill down, and walks around female with exaggerated steps. Shows various lunges, turns of the head, and other posturing in territorial interaction with other Black Guillemots.  Dives under water to capture prey, using its wings to swim. Small prey swallowed under water; larger items brought to surface.   It can carries fish crosswise in its bill with some birds being right- and some birds being left-handed in the way the fish point.   They can stay underwater for up to 2 minutes and 20 seconds.










 
Razorbill
The Razorbills chooses one partner for life, lays 1 egg and nests along coastal waters of the continental shelf. It nests in open or hidden crevices among cliffs and boulders. It is a colonial breeder and only comes to land to breed. The annual survival rate of the Razorbill is 90%. Though the Razorbills average lifespan is roughly 13 years, a bird ringed in the UK in 1967 has survived for at least 41 years — a record for the species.

Individuals only breed at 4–5 years of age. As pairs grow older they will occasionally skip a year of breeding. A mating pair will court several times during breeding periods to strengthen their bond. 

The pair will mate up to 80 times in a 30 day period to ensure fertilisation.   Females will sometimes encourage other males to engage in copulation to guarantee successful fecundity.


  








Puffin
Puffins have predominantly black and white plumage, a stocky build, and large beaks. They shed the colourful outer parts of their bills after the breeding season, leaving a smaller and duller beak. Their short wings are adapted for swimming with a flying technique under water. In the air, they beat their wings rapidly (up to 400 times per minute) in swift flight, often flying low over the ocean's surface.


  





 Although the puffins are vocal at their breeding colonies, they are silent at sea. They fly relatively high above the water, typically 10 m (30 ft) as compared with the 1.6 m (5 ft) of other auks.




The nest in 40” long burrows and form long-term pair bonds or relationships. The female lays a single egg, and both parents incubate the egg and feed the chick or "puffling.   The incubating parent holds the egg against its brood patch with its wings. Unlike other Auks that usually bring in single fish, they go in for ‘bulk buying’!  Normally they carry 5-10 sand eels in their beak, however the record is an amazing 62 fish at one time.  Puffins are generous to their chicks and give them up to 21/2 ounces of fish a day, compared to Guillemots who give 1 ounce and Razorbills 3/4 ounce.  The chicks fledge at night.  After fledging, the chicks spend the first few years of their lives at sea, returning to breed about five years later. 



  


  



This is a video of the Puffins and you can either access it on youtube  at 
http://youtu.be/QJ-rqzU_JQY

Or hopefully you will be able to see the video on my blog.


And finally, I made this short video as my final farewell to Copeland.  I hope you have enjoyed coming with me to this beautiful island and seeing birds, some at close quarters that you may not have the priveledge to do so where you live.    http://youtu.be/cVXs_7EE5M0




Very many thank for all of you who have followed these 6 posts of my time on Lighthouse Island and in particular for those who have sent comments to Stefan and myself.
Have a great day.

You can find more bird posts at Wild Bird Wednesday, WBW at

37 comments:

  1. This has been a thoroughly enjoyable and educational series of posts Margaret and has introduced to me a part of the world I know far too little about.

    Also compliments to Stefan Grief for his superb images of the islands wildlife and landscapes :-)

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    1. Hi David Thanks you so much for visiting adn commenting on these past 6 posts and I am glad you enjoyed both Stefan and my photos along with the educational material. Margaret

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    2. Hi David Sorry if this rely is on twice but blogger did not publish my replies for the first 9 comments!!!!
      I am so glad you enjoyed all the posts, and also the photos of Stefan. He is a wonderful guy and I am sure he will go far in his career when he goes back to Germany. I have to admit although very enjoyable to make the post, it has been hard work adn taken a lot of time. Like you now, I feel I could do with a break although soon I will have to make my post from my overnight Rathlin trip of last week. Well that will be something else for you to look out for. Take care, by the way, my maiden name was Douglas! Margaret

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    3. HI David Sorry I copied yesterdays reply. Today's reply was - Hi David Thanks you so much for visiting and commenting on these past 6 posts and I am glad you enjoyed both Stefan and my photos along with the educational material. Margaret

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  2. Hi David I am so glad you enjoyed all the posts, and also the photos of Stefan. He is a wonderful guy and I am sure he wil go far in his career when he goes back to Germany. I have to admit although very enjoable to make the post, it has been hard work adn taken a lot of time. Like younow, I feel I could do with a break althoughsoon I will have to make my post from my overnight Rathlin trip of last week. Well that will be something else for you to look out for. Take care, by the way, my maiden name was Douglas! Margaret

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  3. Stefan's photos make me swoon, and I have thoroughly enjoyed each 6 posts, all the photos, today I had no difficulty with either video, and thank you so much for sharing all of this, it has beem amazing.

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    1. Hi Lynn Your comments are very generous and I certainly will tell Stefan how all his photos have been loved. It was a wonderful weekend for me adn I was very pleased to be able to shar it all with my blogging friends. Margaret

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    2. HI Lynn Sorry if this reply is on twice. None of my first 9 comments went on!!!
      Many thanks for your kind comments and I am so gad you enjoyed all the posts about Copeland Island. I shall tell Stefan about the kind comments. Margaret

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  4. HI Lynn Many thanks for your kind comments and I am so gad you enjoyed all the posts about Copeland Island. I shalltell stefan about the kind comments. Margaret

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  5. all 3 types are just so cool! :)

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    1. Hi Tex Yes they areall lovely butmy favorites are the Puffins, so colourful. Margaret

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    2. Sorry if this reply is on twice. None of my first 9 comments went on!!! Yes I agree, Thanks for commenting. Margaret

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  6. HI Tex Yes I agree, thanks for comnting. Margaret

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  7. Yes, your videos turned out great! The first pictures, the water has stars on it, so pretty, but the star of the show for me today is the Puffins!!! I have loved them since I was 5 and my favorite uncle gave me a Puffin picture book. Your last Puffin picture is awesome, hey all are!

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    1. HI Ginny Thank you for yuor comments. I am so glad you enjoyed thihs post an videos. Yes, my favorties were the Puffins also. Real characters. We were so fortunate to have had such wonderful close up photos of them, thanks to Sefan. Margaret

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    2. HI Ginny Sorry if this rely is on twice but blogger did not publish my replies for the first 9 comments!!!! Thank you for your comments. I am so glad you enjoyed this post an videos. Yes, my favorites were the Puffins also. Real characters. We were so fortunate to have had such wonderful close up photos of them, thanks to Stefan. Margaret

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  8. Replies
    1. Hi Peter. Thanks for comments adn I'm glad you enjoyed the photos. Margaret

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    2. Hi Peter. Sorry if this rely is on twice but blogger did not publish my replies for the first 9 comments!!!! Thanks for comments and I'm glad you enjoyed the photos. Margaret

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  9. Beautiful birds,but what really caught my attention was the water action and the sparkles on the water. Great photography,I love it.

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    1. HI Ruth These photographs were the ones that I changed and experimente on most. Stefan's original photo was too dark so I lightened it (no 3) and then I turned it into B/W (1) and then I make the sea blue and foscued more on the Black Guillemot (2). That one is my my favortie. Glad you liked them. Thanks for your comments. Margaret

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    2. HI Ruth Sorry if this rely is on twice but blogger did not publish my replies for the first 9 comments!!!! These photographs were the ones that I changed and experiment on most. Stefan's original photo was too dark so I lightened it (no 3) and then I turned it into B/W (1) and then I make the sea blue and foscused more on the Black Guillemot (2). That one is my my favorite. Glad you liked them. Thanks for your comments. Margaret

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  10. Lovely photos and great information. Right and left handed birds??....interesting!

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    1. Hi Mary Thanks for comments. Yes that fact is fascinaating. MArgaret

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    2. Hi Mary Sorry if this rely is on twice but blogger did not publish my replies for the first 9 comments!!!!Thanks for comments. Yes that fact is fascinating. Margaret

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  11. Black Guillemots and Puffins, two birds I've yet to see, and the Razorbill only at a great distance, so I really enjoyed this post Margaret.

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    1. Hi Keith Many thanks for comments adn glad you enjoyed the post. I hope you look at the previous 5 posts of Copeland, I think youomight like some of the videos. Margaret

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    2. Hi Keith Sorry if this rely is on twice but blogger did not publish my replies for the first 9 comments!!!!
      Many thanks for comments and glad you enjoyed the post. I hope you look at the previous 5 posts of Copeland, I think you might like some of the videos. Margaret

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  12. These are great birds - I used to see most of these up on the coast of Northumbria.

    WBW (Wild Bird Wednesday) is a "link up" that I run. Basically it allows bloggers to put a link on one of my posts back to their own blog posts. IN WBW's case all of the posts are about birds. You should see a long round button underneath all the bird images on my blog - click this and it takes you to a little "widget" that allows you to add the URL to your blog, add your name and then pick which image you wish to use as the thumb nail. Whole things takes less than a minute. And with a bit of luck more people will visit your blog. There is a tab at the top of my page that shows how to do all this - its free, and you can join in anytime you wish. The link works from 2 am Wednesday to midday Friday (my time)

    Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne

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    1. Hi Stewart Thanks for comments adn infomatin about WBW. will try adn work it out. Tecnology is not my thing!! Margaret

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  13. Hi Stewart Sorry if this rely is on twice but blogger did not publish my replies for the first 9 comments!!!! Thanks for comments and infomation about WBW. will try and work it out. Technology is not my thing!! Margaret

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  14. HI Neill Many thanks for visiting my posts on Copeland adn I am glad you enjoyed them. Many thanks for commenting and very soon I am about the put on my finding when I travelled over night to Rathlin Island so perhaps you may tue in to that also.

    Margaret

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  15. HI Neil Many thanks for comment. I am bery glad you liked the series. Look out for the Rathlin Island series coming very soon. Margaret

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  16. Hi Neill Many thanks for your comments. Margaret

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  17. One day...oh I do hope that one day I shall see a Puffin...what fun, beautiful birds they are. You got some amazing birding image shares on this post. I am glad to meet you on here. Wonderful looking blog, great images~

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  18. Hi Mary Many thanks for your comments adn I am glad you enjoyed the puffins. Hope you wil pop in again. Margaret

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