Eider (Somateria mollissima)
Inishmurray is a mystical island 4 miles off the Sligo coast in Donegal Bay. A well preserved 6th century monastic settlement dominates the centre of the island. The last inhabitants deserted the island for the comforts of the mainland in 1957. Inishmurray is a low lying island composed of Carboniferous shale/sandstone rocks, 1 mile long and 0.5 mile wide at its broadest point, comprising of 233 acres. There are no trees and few shrubs on the island. Due to the fact that there are no people, foxes or rats living on the island, ground nesting birds breed successfully with minimal predation. The island is an important wintering ground for barnacle geese (100-500 individuals). During the summer the breeding population comprises of varying numbers of Arctic and common tern, shag (100+ pairs), herring gull (100+ pairs), great black backed gull (100+ pairs), and eider (100+ individuals), black guillemot (10+ individuals), storm petrels (100+ pairs), lesser black-backed gull (35+ pairs) and fulmar (80+ pairs).
Shag (Phalacrocorax aristotelis)
Shag (Phalacrocorax aristotelis)
Fulmar (Fulmaris glacialis)
Fulmar (Fulmaris glacialis)
Fulmar (Fulmaris glacialis)
Fulmar (Fulmaris glacialis)
Eider (Somateria mollissima)
Black Guillemot (Cepphus grylle)
Some great shots here. I especially like the full head shot of the Fulmar.
ReplyDeleteThanks Kerry. In the head shot of the Fulmar you can see the distinctive horny plates that make up the bill which are unique to the tubenoses (Procellariiformes). The Fulmar is related to the petrels and the albatross.
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