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NOISY FLOCKERS
P H o T o o f T H E m o n T H
Ian Cairns took this beautiful shot of kittiwakes in the early morning of April Fools’ Day “a couple of weeks
after they returned to Seaford Head cliffs”. It seems to capture their elegant, swooping movements and
somehow give an impression of the extraordinary cacophony they make. Ian was visiting Splash Point in
Seaford to look at the birds with his nine-year-old son, James. “These streamlined gulls are pelagic, living out
in the Atlantic all year and only coming ashore to nest. Every few minutes, hundreds take to the air, screaming
out over the sea before circling back to their nesting spot on the cliffs.” He took a number of shots using his
Nikon D70 SLR with a 300mm equivalent lens (settings 1/2500, f8, ISO400) shooting “slightly into the sun,
which gives it lots of light and life”. This also gives a slightly metallic effect to the surface of the sea and rock.
According to the RSPB, Splash Point is one of the most accessible kittiwake colonies in the UK and a popular
place for watching chicks on the nest later in the year, with the organisation providing free telescopes during
July. “There is a lot of activity over the next few months” Ian says, “with the kittiwakes coming and going with
nesting materials and food and being kept busy by the crows which are constantly trying to rob the kittiwakes
of their offspring, causing much noisy protest.”
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magazine column, and choose our favourite for this slot, which wins the photographer £20. Unless otherwise
arranged we retain the right to use all pictures received in future Viva Magazines Ltd publications.
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