Seabirds
Puffin / Puifín
Gannets / Gainéad / Ogastún
What?
Well, they are birds that live and feed at sea! However, true seabirds spend their whole life at sea and only come to land to breed. Many gull species, cormorants and shags, therefore, are not true seabirds, although they spend much of their time at sea.
Who?
Cormorants (Broigheall) and shags (Seaga) need to find land to dry their feathers as they are not fully waterproof. These two species can be hard to distinguish, and you have to look for subtle differences such as size, a more pronounced forehead and crest on shags or white patches on the cormorants’ thighs.
True seabirds on the other hand, are fully waterproof and can therefore stay in and on the water continuously. Some have particularly long wings, which allows them to preserve energy by gliding rather than flapping. These include the largest seabird in the North Atlantic, the Northern Gannet (Gainéad), but also the smaller Manx Shearwater (Cánóg dhubh) and Northern Fulmars (Fulmaire). The latter is a relative of albatrosses and not to be confused with a gull. Look at their upper beak and you will make out the distinct nasal passages, which are missing in gulls. Watching the Atlantic Puffin (Puifín), Razorbill (Crosán), Common and Black Guillemot (Muiréan / Foracha dhubh), you will notice that they flap constantly. They are clumsy fliers, but their short wings are perfectly adapted for swimming through water while hunting for fish.
Sandwich, Arctic and Common Terns (Geabhróg) visit Iveragh every summer. Watch them fly gracefully with their long forked tails and you will see why some people call them ‘sea swallows’. They are acrobatic as they swoop and dive to catch fish. Their shrill calls are a lovely backdrop to the summer.
When?
While some seabirds can be seen out at sea and in bays all year round, you really want to search for them during the breeding season. Spring is the time when they return to their colonies along cliff edges and islands to find their mates. They will claim their nest site (some will refurbish nests from previous years) before laying 1-3 eggs. Fledglings leave the nests in late summer and autumn. Some species then stay near to Iveragh’s coast while others venture off to sea. Two species you can see all year-round diving in Iveragh waters are the Northern Gannet and the Black Guillemot. Watch out for the change in plumage over the season in the latter one.
Manx Shearwaters
Common guillemot
Gannets / Gainéad
Manx Shearwater / Cánóg dhubh
Kittiwakes / Saidhbhéar and Guillemots / Muiréan
Kittiwake / Saidhbhéar
Fulmar / Fulmaire - note the ‘nostrils’ on its upper beak
Fulmar in flight
Sandwich tern / Geabhróg scothdhubh
Great Northern Diver / Lóma mór
Guillemot / Muiréan
Male (l) and female Eider (r)
