I
see auks surprisingly little from survey vessels and oil platforms in
the North Sea. Sometimes they seem very tame and feed right next to the
vessel - possibly attracted by the aerated water caused by DP vessels.
Auks have been seen diving to incredible depths by ROVs (Remotely
Operated Vehicles) operating on oilfields and pipelines in the North
Sea - with such birds captured on video as they "fly" past the vehicle.
Common
Guillemot, Tjeldstø, September 2008
Guillemot are a regular late autumn and winter visitor to Oslo.
Picture taken at Sørenga, not far from the opera house,
December 2018
Norwegian birds usually look a bit darker than ones from the UK, although this is not always obvious
Adult Guillemot with young, Leman, UK Sector, August 2021
Young Guillemots leap into the sea before they can fly and swim after
their parents to feeding grounds offshore. The area off the east coast
of the UK is a popular feeding area and under calm conditions the calls
of the adults and begging young can be heard a long way off - I often
hear them before I see them.
Flight shot of Guillemot, Skogsøy, May 2020
Note that in some lighting conditions the bill may appear to have a
white line down it, inviting confusion with Brunniches Guillemot
For more details regarding the occurrence of Guillemot / Common Murre
at Skogsøy click here
