Part 10: Seashores

British coastline is mostly a chain of rocky capes and deep gulfs, which are either former river valleys or fjords, flooded by the rising sea at the end of the last Ice Age.

Coast at Land's End, Cornwall.

Coast at Land's End, Cornwall.

The most outlying parts of the coast are usually the most scenic: Land's End in the far southwest, Dover area in the far southeast, western Wales and the outer islands of Scotland.

Coast at Land's End, Cornwall.

Low tide at St. Margaret's at Cliffe, Kent, England.

Limpets (Acmea sp.), St. Margaret at Cliffe.

Dover cliffs, Kent, England.

From the white chalk cliffs of Dover, you can see France on a clear day. From Mull of Kintyre in Scotland, you can often see Ireland in the west.

Heath-covered coast near Porthmeor, Cornwall.

Kittiwakes (Rissa tridctyla), Isle of May, Scotland.

Northern fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis), Land's End.

The most impressive feature of the British coast is its huge seabird colonies. Some can be seen from the mainland, but most are on small offshore islands.

Kittiwakes, common murre (Uria aagle) and razorbill, Isle of May.

Shags (Phalacrocorax aristotelis), Isle of May.

Northern fulmar, Land's End.

Isle of May, Fif, Scotland.

Alas, almost all of these islands are very expensive to visit. Isle of May off Fif, Scotland, is probably the most "cost- effective" one.

Isle of May.

Isle of May.

Razorbill (Alca torda), Isle of May.

Here, thousands of kittiwakes, murres, razorbills, shags, and fulmars nest on rocky cliffs, while gulls, terns and puffins breed on the plateau.

Shags and razorbill, Isle of May.

Arctic terns (Sterna paradisaea), Isle of May.

Razorbills, Isle of May.

Unlike on many other islands, on Isle of May you can easily get close to cliff- nesting birds, and get good photos.

Razorbill with a chick, Isle of May.

Puffins (Fratercula arctica) and razorbills, Isle of May.

Puffins, Skomer Island, Wales.

By far the most popular seabirds are puffins. They nest in burrows on grassy slopes.

Puffins, Skomer Island.

Puffins, Skomer Island.

Puffins, Isle of May.

Underwater, puffins swim by "flying" with their wings. Puffins . Puffin, Scomer Island. In flight, they use their webbed feet for steering.

Puffins, Isle of May.

Puffins, Skomer Island, Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, Wales.

Part 11: Seashores (continued)

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