almerimartoday

Razorbills in Darsena 1

Another keen birdwatcher, Janne from Sweden, alerted me that 6 Razorbills had taken up residence in the port near to the tower.

Read More for details and some photos.

These birds spend the summer up in the Arctic Circle and the winter in the milder waters of the seas of Western Europe, usually far from land. This probably accounts for the fact that in over 20 years of birding I have never seen a Razorbill. In fact they normally only alight on land to breed in large colonies.

An unusual feature of these birds is the extremely small wings they have which they use to good effect as fins, virtually flying underwater at depths of up to 35 metres as they pursue small fish. When on land they look more like small penguins than other more typical ducks.

They frequently communicate with each other in grunts, growls and a strange whirring sound which may be the reason you seek them out, wondering just what makes such strange noises.

It is possible that the six birds may spend the winter with us but if you are keen to see them I recommend that you get down to the harbour as quickly as possible.

I took these photos today and, as you can see, got quite close to them.