This is one of my favourite
seabirds - a charismatic, charming and hardy little bird that is often
associated with winter storms. Having picked them up exhausted on
the beach I have had these birds swimming around in my bath chasing
shrimps I caught for them. Little
Auk are usually a common bird during the winter in Øygarden.
I have seen them in the Barent's Sea
but
never in big numbers - nothing like the experiences I have had in Northumberland
or off Norway.
The best identification
book for seawatchers in Europe!
I have seen this species diving under a vessel at night on the Shtokman field
in the Barent's Sea - startling the Fulmars whenever it surfaced.
Migrating
Little Auks, Hernar,
Øygarden, 24 October 2011
Little Auk, Skogsøy,
November 2011
Most European birders associate Little Auks with winter storms and
often see them under the kinds of conditions pictured above and below.
Little Auks heading into
southerly gale, Herdlevær,
Øygarden, Norway, November 2011
Little Auk are deemed as fair game by gulls, crows and most
raptors and are often easily caught.
This one could have easily escaped had it been on the water a few
metres away instead of on the ice. A simple dive would have saved its
life...
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