Black Guillemot (Cepphus grylle)

OTHER NAMES: Tystie

Latin Etymology: Cepphus ("pale waterbird") grylle (Gotland dialect name for Black Guillemot)

Adult Summer plumage Black Guillemot (subspecies C. g. arcticus) at St. Bee's Head, Cumbria - March 2013

Featured Subspecies: Cepphus grylle arcticus
Weight: 380-575g  /  Length: 32-38cm  /  Wingspan: 49-58cm
UK AMBER LIST  / IUCN Red List Least Concern

The Black Guillemot is the rarest and most limited in range or Britain's breeding auks, it is mostly found around the West Coast of Scotland, Ireland and the Isle of Man.  However, there are also small populations in England and Wales, in Wales on Anglesey, and as is the case of this bird, in England off St Bee's Head.  They are at close range, in breeding plumage, quite a striking bird - unlike a Common Guillemot they are black all over except for the white wing panel and bright red feet and gape.  They nest right at the bottom of cliffs and rocky surfaces, well below the other auks and can sometimes be seen nesting in harbour walls.

Related Species:
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Alcidae
Genus: Cepphus
Subspecies: C. g. mandtii, C. g. grylle, C. g. arcticus, C. g. faroeensis, C. g. islandicus

 - Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - A localised breeding resident (19,000 pairs) and Wintering species (58-80,000 birds) 

 - Single bird seen at St. Bee's Head in April 2013, .

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

Razorbill (Alca torda)

OTHER NAMES: Black-billed Auk, Falk

Latin Etymology: Alca (Alke - Norweigian name for Razorbill) torida (from Gotland dialect name)

Three adult Razorbill (subspecies A. t. torda) at Bempton Cliffs, East Yorkshire - April 2022

Featured Subspecies: Alca torda torda
Weight: 505-890g  /  Length: 37-39cm  /  Wingspan: 63-66cm
UK AMBER LIST / IUCN Red List - Near Threatened

The Razorbill is the rarest auk to breed in any major numbers in England (there are a very small number of black guillemot, but that species is mainly confined to Scotland) and thus the hardest to photograph. It also leaves at the end of July, further confounding the problem. Though they are present, I failed to see any on my trip to the Farne Islands, and so it fell to spotting them on the sea beneath the cliffs at Trevose head for initially photographing them. If you have the luck to go over to the Farnes between March and mid-July you'd probably be able to achieve much better photographs - I had seen them on my previous trip. They do however have the benefit over puffins that they do nest on the mainland, and so can often be seen during the breeding season on the sea beneath cliffs.

Related Species:
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Alcidae
Genus: Alca
Subspecies: A. t. torda, A. t. islandica

 - Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - A locally common Summer breeding species (130,000 pairs)

 - Flocks seen at Trevose Head, Farne Islands, St. Bee's Head and Tintagel in Spring and early Summer.

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

Common Raven (Corvus corax)

OTHER NAMES: Raven, Northern Raven, Corbie
Latin Etymology: Corvus ("raven") corax ("raven")

Adult Raven (subspecies C. c. sinatus) at Berkeley, Californial - August 2022

Featured Subspecies - Corvus corax sinatus
Weight: 165-230g  /  Length: 24-33cm  /  Wingspan: 50-73cm
UK GREEN LIST / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

The Raven is not only the largest passerine in the UK, but also, along with another species of Raven, the World. It is a huge, impressive bird which without close inspection might resemble a crow - it is however substantially larger (being bigger than a buzzard) and has a distinctive wedge shaped tail in flight. The other two major signs are the very heavy set bill compared to the other crows (which can be seen in my photograph) and more dramatically, it's "kronking" call which though not necessarily one of the most pleasant calls, is in my opinion one of the most powerful and dramatic calls, especially if you are walking on a high hillside somewhere. As for photography - the fact it's a big bird helps, just getting a good view is the challenge - unfortunately my first bird was seen as dusk with bad lighting.

As a side note, I have also recently seen a pair of Raven's over Geddington - given that these bird's have only just started to re-establish in the county after an absence of a hundred years, I hope this results in them breeding around the village in the coming years.

Related Species:
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Corvidae
Genus: Corvus
Subspecies: C. c. principalis, C. c. sinuatus, C. c. clarionensis, C. c. varius, C. c. corax, C. c. hispanus, C. c. laurencei, C. c. subcorax, C. c. tingitanus, C. c. canariensis, C. c. tibetanus, C. c. kamtschaticus  

 - Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - A local but increasing resident breeding species (7400 pairs)

 - A locally reasonably common species seen at Trevose Head, St. Bee's Head, Derwent Water, and Haweswater. Roaming birds encountered on a few occasions at Geddington

UNITED STATES 
Range centred on the Rockies and Pacific Coast
 - CALIFORNIA 2022 TRIP: Seen at Roy's Redwoods, San Francisco and Berkeley

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

.

Eurasian Linnet (Linaria cannabina)

OTHER NAMES: Linnet
Latin Etymology: Linaria ("linen weaver") cannabina ("made of hemp")

Adult Eurasian Linnet (subspecies C. c. cannabina) - male at St. Bee's Head - April 2011 / female at Trevose Head - June 2010

Featured Subspecies: Carduelis cannabina cannabina 

Weight: 15-26g / Length: 13.5cm / Wingspan: 21-25cm

UK RED LIST / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

Linnets are a slightly odd species in terms of distribution - they are certainly widely distributed, but the density seems to vary wildly, even from year to year. They are found in Geddington but are quite unusual, whereas at Rainham and Trevose Head they seem one of the most numerous birds. Photographing them of course depends on how brave the local population is.

Related Species:

Order: Passeriformes
Family: Fringillidae
Genus: Linaria
Subspecies: C. c. autochthona, C. c. nana, C. c. meadewaldoi, C. c. harterti, C. c. mediterranea, C. c. cannabina, C. c. bella

- Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - Common resident (430.000 pairs) 

 - A fairly local bird seen at sites including Trevose Head, Rainham Marshes, Elmley Marshes, St. Bee's Head and Geddington.     

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

.

Northern Gannet (Morus bassanus)

OTHER NAMES: Gannet, Solan Goose
Latin Etymology: Morus ("silly or foolish") bassanus (after Bass Rock in Scotland)

                                                                     Adult Northern Gannet (Morus bassanus) at Bempton Cliffs, East Yorkshire  - April 2022 

Featured Subspecies: N/A
Weight: 2.2-3.6kg / Length: 81-110cm / Wingspan: 95-110cm
UK AMBER LIST / IUCN Red List: Least Concern 

A huge distinctive looking bird - there is no other bird in Europe with the same shape and colours. Gannets can be seen along a lot of the coast, but really it is only when the wind conditions are right that they will be seen in close enough to shore to get any particularly close views.  They will occasionally feed more closely in in bays with their spectacular diving being one of the more impressive wildlife sights the UK has to offer, but largely on the mainland coast they are only seen passing by.  The UK is the world's best site for this species in general, with more than 70% of the worlds population living in only twenty sites.

Related Species: 
Order: Suliformes
Family: Sulidae
Genus: Morus
Subspecies: none - monotypic

 - Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - Locally common breeding species (220,000 pairs) and regularly seen on passage.

 - Birds seen on passage from Trevose Head, St Bees Head and Farne Islands.

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

.

Common Guillemot (Uria aalge)

OTHER NAMES: Guillemot, Common Murre
Latin Etymology: Uria (waterbird mentioned by Athenaeus) aalge (Danish name for auk)

 Adult Common Guillemot (subspecies U. a. albionis) in Bempton Cliffs, East Yorkshire - April 2022

Featured Subspecies: Uria aalge albionis

Weight: 38-45g  /  Length: 38-45cm  /  Wingspan: 67cm

UK AMBER LIST  / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

Guillemots are not precisely elusive in the broader sense, there are apparently 1.4 million pairs in the UK. On the flip side, they only come ashore to nest between March and July, and then only at cliff sites - primarily on the West and Northern coasts. This means, that although certainly numerous, if you don't happen to live anywhere near these places you have a window of oppertunity each year to do so. By the time I went to the Farnes and got first Guillemots for this blog, I only saw one or two over the entire trip. The Farne islands are almost certainly your best bet for photographing this species as with many sea birds it allows you to get right up close to them in a habitat where they are used to seeing people.

Further Information:
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Alcidae
Genus: Uuria
Subspecies: U. a. aalge, U. a. albionis, U. a. hyperborea, U. a. inornata, U. a. californica

- Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - Common Summer breeding species (950,000 pairs).

 - Seen at several locations including  Trevose Head, St. Bee's Head and the Farne Islands.

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus,IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

.

Atlantic Puffin (Fratercula artica)

OTHER NAMES: Puffin
Latin Etymology: Fratercula ("little brother; friar") artica ("Northern")

Three adult Atlantic Puffin (subspecies F. a. grabae) at the Farne Islands, Northumbria - July 2009

Featured Subspecies: Fratercula artica grabae
Weight: 500g  /  Length: 25cm  /  Wingspan: 47-63cm
UK RED LIST / IUCN Red List: Vulnerable

Puffins suffer the same problem as many sea-birds for photographing - they live exclusively by the sea, and therefore, firstly require getting to that location. Puffins are seemingly more limited in range than guillemots, seemingly being found almost exclusivly in the West coast, Scotland and Northumbria. Puffins also have a further issue - unlike the other species of Auk, they tend to nest on offshore islands more than on the mainland, presumably due to predation. As with other ocean going birds, they come ashore only to breed from April to August and then leave.I would recommend the Farne Islands as a very good place to photograph these birds, this is the only place I've actually seen them for a start, but you can also get very close to them for photography in a setting where they are used to humans.

Further Information:
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Alcidae
Genus: Fratercula
Subspecies: F. a. naumanni, F. a. arctica, F. a. grabae 

- Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - Numerous but very local breeding species (581,000 pairs).

 - Seen at St. Bee's Head and Farne Islands

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

Harbour Porpoise (Phocoena phocoena)

OTHER NAMES: Common Porpoise, Puffing Pig
Latin Etymology: Phocoena ("big seal") phocoena ("big seal")

Harbour Porpoise (subspecies P. p. phocoena) at St Bee's Head, Cumbria - April 2011

Featured Subspecies: Phocoena phocoena phocoena
Weight: 61-76kg  /  Length: 67-85cm
UK STATUS NOT EVALUATED/ IUCN Red List: Vulnerable 

The smallest species of cetacean found regularly in British Waters, they are unobtrusive feeders in coastal waters where they are usually solitary. Unlike more familiar dolphin species, they appear only very briefly to gain air; a momentary sliding out of the water quietly before vanishing back down again. They are found round much of the Northern Hemisphere but are currently classed as vulnerable due to population declines with threats including climate change, pollutions, overfishing and noise pollution all believed to be effecting them.

Related Species:
ORDER: Artiodactyla
Family: Phocoenidae

Genus: Phocoena
SUBSPECIES: P. p. phocoena, P. p. relicta, P. p. vomerina

 - Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - A widespread but scarce resident of coastal waters

 - An individual seen from St Bees Head .

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

.