Birding in the UK: Scottish Seabirds in the Firth of Forth and North Sea

Before we ended our time in Scotland last summer, I just had to spend a little time with some of the many amazing seabirds that call the icy North Sea home.  

While visiting family in Dunbar, Scotland, we were conveniently close to the town of North Berwick, home of the Scottish Seabird Centre.  From this delightful seaside village, visitors may embark on boat trips from the harbor at North Berwick out to several of the rocky islands that rise from the waves where the Firth of Forth meets the North Sea.  

While these wave-battered rocks look inhospitable to humans, they are critical breeding habitat for an array of seabirds, which nest on the craggy rocks or in stony burrows.  The longest boat trips from North Berwick go all the way to the Isle of May, while the islands of Lamb, Craigleith and iconic Bass Rock are closer to shore.  

Bass Rock, home to the world's largest breeding colony of Northern Gannets, as well as a host of other seabirds. 


All of these islands are absolutely bursting with avian life, as hundreds of thousands of seabirds breed and raise their young on their rocky heights.  

Atlantic Puffins


Perhaps the fan-favorite of northern seabirds is the adorable Atlantic Puffin, a small-ish Alcid that raises its young in burrows on rocky islands from the coast of Maine, north along the coasts of Canada to Greenland, Iceland, Svalbard, Norway and Scotland.  More than 5,000 pairs of these charismatic birds breed on Craigleith Rock, off the coast of North Berwick, alone.

Atlantic Puffins outside their burrows on Craigleith Rock


For more about Atlantic Puffins, check out this article about our experience birding in Maine!

And to learn about puffins of the Pacific, have a look at this post from our time in Cannon Beach, Oregon.

Atlantic Puffins outside their burrows on Craigleith Rock


Alcids, members of the family Alcidae, are diving seabirds of northern latitudes that are well known for their ability to essentially "fly" underwater.  They also commonly sport sharp black-and-white attire, like their southern counterparts, the penguins (to which Alcids are not closely related).  

Common Murres

Common Murres and Razorbills are two more members of the Alcid family that nest on these rocky islands, murres being the far more abundant of the two similar-looking species.  As might be guessed from their name, Razorbills have uniquely thick, laterally compressed bills that are distinct from murres' more thinly pointed bills.

Two Razorbills (on the left), with several Black-legged Kittiwakes

Two more similar species found on rocky coasts of the North Atlantic are two species of cormorant: the Great Cormorant and European Shag.  As its name suggests, the Great Cormorant is significantly larger than other species of cormorant, and can be identified by its white throat patch.

Great Cormorant (with a fly-by Razorbill)


European Shags, pictured below, are small, delicately-featured cormorants, readily distinguished from the large, bulky Great Cormorant.  

European Shag with nesting material


European Shag nests with young... nearly ready to fledge!


Black-legged Kittiwakes are members of the gull family, Laridae, to which gulls, terns and skimmers also belong.  Though similar in appearance to gulls, kittiwakes are far more delicate in appearance.  They are also much more strictly oceanic than the more cosmopolitan gulls of the world.  

Black-legged Kittiwakes preferred the lower ledges of Craigleith and Bass Rock


Black-legged Kittiwakes


Kittiwakes breed in large, densely populated, noisy colonies, building their nests on small, rocky ledges perched precariously above the pounding waves.  Here, their downy young are safe from many of their would-be predators.

Black-legged Kittiwake breeding colony in Dunbar, Scotland


Seeing kittiwake nests with mothers tending to their sweet, downy chicks was one of the highlights of our June visit to the coastal village of Dunbar, Scotland!  

Black-legged Kittiwakes nests with chicks


Here, the birds nest on the rocky cliffs and ruins of an old castle around Dunbar harbor, and are close enough to see and photograph well with binoculars and a zoom lens.

Black-legged Kittiwake nest with chick


With a wingspan of five feet and measuring two-and-a-half feet from bill to tail, the Great Black-backed Gull is the world's largest species of gull.  This big bruiser of a bird is a common marauder of the North Atlantic coast, and we saw quite a few on our tour around Craigleith and Bass Rock.  These large omnivores can be a menace to other nesting seabirds, as they won't pass up the opportunity to prey on eggs and chicks of other species.  But they're only doing what they have been designed to do best: survive and thrive! 

Great Black-backed Gull


Slightly smaller and significantly paler than the Great Black-backed Gull is the European Herring Gull.  This species was recently split (that is, determined to be a separate species) from the American Herring Gull.

European Herring Gull


Perhaps at first glance similar in appearance to a gull, the Northern Fulmar is a member of the strictly pelagic group of seabirds known as the tubenoses, which are found only out on the open ocean.    

Northern Fulmar


But even the most oceanic seabirds must come ashore to nest, and this fulmar seemed interested in this cozy crevice of stone on Bass Rock.

Northern Fulmar


No discussion of seabirds would be complete without mentioning sea ducks!  Back home in California, I'm more familiar with our three species of scoters... but up and down both sides of the Atlantic coast, the Common Eider is, well, the common sea duck likely to be encountered.

Female Common Eider

Of course, I'm always on the look out for mammals as well, and was delighted to see several Grey Seals while exploring around North Berwick and Dunbar.

Grey Seals


This seal was curious about our boat!

Grey Seal


Grey Seals are found on both coasts of the North Atlantic.  Though they share their habitat (and to an extent, coloration) with the more common Harbor Seals, adult Grey Seals, particularly males, can be readily identified by their large somewhat curved or rounded noses. 

Grey Seal


You may have noticed one iconic bird that is conspicuously absent from this list: the Northern Gannet!  Bass Rock is home to the world's largest breeding colony of gannets, and as such, we spent a great deal of our time on the boat circling the island and watching these amazing birds.  This incredible experience deserves its own post, so stay tuned... !

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About Me

Named after the Sierra Nevada Mountains, I am a naturalist and avid birder based in Central California. Above all, I am a follower of Jesus Christ, our amazingly good Creator God whose magnificent creation is an unending source of awe and inspiration for me. I hope to inspire others to appreciate, respect and protect this beautiful earth we share, and invite you to come along with me as I explore the nature of California and beyond!
- Siera Nystrom -



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