Black-legged Kittiwakes

Black-legged Kittiwakes arrive, approximately, at the the end of the third week of May at Bonaventure Island. The males usually arrive at a colony and choose a site the year before they mate and then they arrive before the females each season and reclaim the nest site that they chose or used the previous year.

They are able to nest on ledges that are narrower than those of other seabirds. The minimum width they are able to use is 10 cm.

The shadow on the cliff wall is that of a Northern Gannet.

The area is so narrow that the birds sit facing the cliff with their tails projecting out over the nest ledge.

The base of the nest is made with mud and grasses and built up with more mud, grass and seaweed. While watching and photographing kittiwakes bathing at Baie Mal Barachois I noticed that some of the birds were flying off with beaks full of small amounts of vegetation.

The above three images were taken with a Canon 1DMK2N with 70-200 lens at approximately 200mm.

The above image was taken with a Canon 1DMK2N and 500 mm lens, handheld with BushHawk.

These small, spritely gulls are a treat to watch as they feed in flocks.

All of the above images were taken from a zodiac around the cliffs of Bonaventure Island, Quebec.

All of the above images in this post are the property of Eleanor Kee Wellman and may not be used for any reason without the written permission of the Photographer.