Everybody A 'Wake?

These are a few members of the large colony of kittiwakes which nest every year at the mouth of Dunbar Harbour, East Lothian.

I had gone down to the harbour to take a comparison blip after the stormy shots from Monday and Tuesday.

But of course by the nature of these things, because the sea was calm and the sky not looming overhead there was not much to see. Take it from me, though, the weather has definitely changed for the better!

The kittiwakes have amazing vision and an ability to recognise an incoming partner from quite a distance. While standing taking shots of one particular lone bird, it (she?) started to make strange croaking sounds, open billed (beaked?) and head held out. Then she started to bob her head. After about ten seconds of this the partner arrived at the nest and they both carried on with the croaking/gaping/bobbing dance of greeting.

The question is, from how far away did she recognise him?

Amazing birds, and they really do say "kitti-wake". Click to here to enlarge