Guillemots and Razorbills: Seabirds Nest in 200ft Cliffs

By Amanda Stringfellow @amanda_l_s

BRITISH sea birds nest high in a cliff above the North Sea

Scroll down for the full story

A Razorbill stares into the camera, perched on 200ft cliffs high above the North Sea at Fowlsheugh Nature Reserve

Each year, tens of thousands of Guillemots and Razorbills come to breed and nest at the coastal nature reserve RSBP Fowlsheugh, on the Aberdeenshire coast, Scotland.

Loved up: Razorbill couples paired together high above the North Sea

The two species of black and white birds only come ashore once a year during the breeding season, spending the rest of their lives at sea.

Stunning pictures capture the large colonies as they huddle together on the massive 200ft sea-cliffs - where the birds congregate in the spring and early summer.

Flock together: Guillemots huddle on the exposed sea cliffs

Razorbills with white streaks near their eyes and chunky bills sit in couples on the cliffs while the guillemots bunch together on the steep rock like bowling pins.

The photographs were captured by photographer Robert Lenfert, 42 from Stonehaven, Scotland on a visit to the reserve.

The birds only come to shore once a year: this razorbill is nesting high in the cliff

Robert said: "In the spring, the towering seaside cliffs of Fowlsheugh host tens of thousands of nesting seabirds such as fulmars, guillemots, kittiwakes, puffins and razorbills.

Ruffled feathers: the birds congregate in the spring and early summer

Fowlsheugh Nature Reserve, south of Stonehaven on the Aberdeenshire Coast

“Fowlsheugh is a coastal nature reserve, owned by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and is a site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) as designated by Scottish Natural Heritage.