Record Number of Little Auks Seen on Farne Islands
Little Auks
- The Little Auk is a relative of the Puffin but its diminutive size is an instant give away, as the species is only the size of a Starling. Even its feeding habits are unique as rather than hunt for fish, the birds feed exclusively on planktonic crustaceans.
On 8th November, 18,000 Little Auks, a diminutive puffin-sized seabird, were recorded around the Farnes, thrashing the UK’s previous best sighting of 11,000 recorded at Flamborough Head on the Yorkshire coast in January 1995.
National Trust Head Warden David Steel commented, ‘It was a staggering sight to see so many of these small Auks bravely battling north against the strong head wind. For the record to be broken twice in three days is remarkable and will take some beating.’
World’s Second Most Numerous Seabird
Even though the Little Auk is the second most numerous sea bird in the world its closest breeding populations to the UK are centred around the Arctic Circle in Greenland and Spitsbergen. Despite the lack of any breeding birds in Britain, large numbers can be driven into the North Sea during the late autumn and early winter period usually after gale force winds.
Following a series of strong northerly winds last week, the team of National Trust wardens on the Farne Islands began to count the birds as they re-orientated themselves and headed north past the islands.
Mark Grantham, BirdTrack Organiser at the British Trust for Ornithology, commented, ‘These mass displacements of Little Auks do seem to be quite a modern phenomenon, and we can only wonder why. It may be changing weather patterns or changes in food supply, but there's no denying something is happening. To start to understand what might be driving this, we need to accurately document and monitor these movements.’
Many disorientated birds will also have headed off inland, and any sightings can be recorded online at www.birdtrack.net.
