Brunnich's Guillemots, Uria lomvia, Alkefjellet
nesting on cliffs - 1 - Svalbard

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Brunnich's Guillemots, Uria lomvia, nesting on cliffs - 1 - Svalbard


Alkefjellet means Razorbill Mountain (even though there aren't any razorbills here as far as I'm aware), it is a series of fractured dolerite cliffs and towers that rise about 100m from the sea. Guillemots are however a member of the auk family as are razorbills so maybe it's a case of mistaken identity or something to do with translation from the Norwegian.
These cliffs are the home to a huge number of nesting Brunnich’s guillemots and kittiwakes with the former being the more common. The day we were there it was very overcast which made it atmospheric though not so good for taking pictures.

+2.8°C



Photo; © Paul Ward - These are pictures from a cruise around Svalbard inside the Arctic Circle in high summer.